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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28425360">Together we Fall Apart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vminjoongie/pseuds/vminjoongie'>vminjoongie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hiraeth [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Mob, Arranged Marriage, Assassins &amp; Hitmen, Chaebol Park Jimin (BTS), Childhood Lovers, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:14:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>34,520</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28425360</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vminjoongie/pseuds/vminjoongie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been years, and only with an unsteady heart does Namjoon return to Seoul. He'd known that it would hurt, that it would only ever be bittersweet especially when old wounds have yet to scab over, but all the same it's something he knows is unavoidable. That without answers the only way he'll ever have some semblance of peace will be to bring his best friends empire crumbling with his resolve. </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V/Min Yoongi | Suga, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Kim Namjoon | RM/Park Jimin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hiraeth [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2082045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>+ I currently do not allow republications or translations of any kind, please respect this decision thanks.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hiraeth- a homesickness for a place you can't return to or that never was.<br/>Aeipathy- an enduring, consuming passion.<br/>Metanoia- the journey of changing ones heart.<br/>Odium- a strong hatred towards someone for their actions.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s been forever and only with an unsteady heart, does Namjoon return to Seoul. It’s been four years, taken eight to recover and yet he feels it's hardly been enough. </p><p>That the wounds are still fresh and his heart is far too tattered to be here, hesitant to step off the train platform even though it's all but involuntary, and he can’t help the longing throb his heart gives from where it’s eager to crawl up his throat. </p><p>He’d come here because he'd wanted to, don’t get him wrong, but now, he can only find the thoughts soured as he’s arrived and come to know towering buildings and more distinct reminders that would better be forgotten. </p><p>
  <em> Jimin should be here. </em>
</p><p>When they were kids he’d always wait for him, and maybe he is. <em>Last time </em>they’d found each other fairly quickly, though he doubts it's remembered all too fondly. </p><p>Despite his nostalgia, somehow he gets that it’s better that Jimin isn’t here, especially with <em>Hiraeth </em>as large as it is, and regardless of how bittersweet it feels.</p><p>While he has a plan, it’s still vague, less of an idea and more of understanding that he’ll feel peace with knowing what had happened. Realistically he knows he should probably wait, get a better understanding of things before bringing his former best friends empire crumbling with his resolve. </p><p>It’s deserving of course,<em> Hiraeth</em>, better known as Asia’s largest organized crime network, specializes primarily in counterfeit's and hits. Through blackmail, a long history of crimes and a number of things he <em>really does not want to think about</em>, Hiraeth has easily built a name for itself upon the ruins that was its successor <em>Odium. </em></p><p>Really he’s surprised Jimin even bothers with the front of <em>Chaebol</em>. At the very least it’s insulting hearing about the latest company he’s purchased on a whim when all he really cares about is killing off the competition in favor of lining his wallet.</p><p>He’s sure being back here only stings so much because of Jimin’s little glorified mafia, even though they had first come to power when he was thirteen. Eight years ago and yet it still gives him whiplash remembering how his friend had first disappeared.</p><p>He hadn’t seen it coming, Jimin had told him that things were fine, that <em>they </em>were fine and the week he’d left to visit his family in <em>Ilsan, </em>he’d come back to a horrified Yoongi that wholly agreed that all of this and everything to follow was the mafia’s fault. </p><p>Yoongi and him agree on everything, and this doesn’t exclude that <em>him</em>, and <em>being in Seoul</em>, is probably a very bad thing, and that he’s going to get a bullet through his skull with how shit his luck is. </p><p>He’s not too worried though, Jimin might not like him but if there's one thing he knows about him, it’s that if he’s going to die, it’ll be at his hands. </p><p>Unsurprisingly it isn’t long before he ends up running into Jimin, at least sort of, and rounding a corner a familiar voice reaches his ears. </p><p>It’s not Jimins, instead he recognizes it as one of the news anchors tasked with covering <em>Park Enterprises </em>business dealings and as his eyes find the tv in one of the storefronts his pace falters. </p><p>Jimin’s face is on-screen alongside a separate photo of a crime scene featuring <em>Hiraeth’s </em>latest victim. It’s a rerun, a story Namjoon's seen before and yet he stays put, rewatching it in case it will tell him anything new. </p><p>Really it’s unnecessary. He already knows who committed the crime, and even the newscasters seems sure of it though they’re careful to stick to their monotonous script describing how one of the investors in <em>KBS</em> had been found murdered shortly after outbidding Park Enterprises. </p><p>
  <em> “-according to Seoul PD there have been no new leads and the groups motives for committing this crime remains unknown-” </em>
</p><p>It sounds like bullshit and as the newscasters brow twitches as the words roll off their tongue, he thinks they must think so too. </p><p>Everyone knows that Park Enterprises is just a front, and where saying as much works better in his favor, Hiraeth is better suited for claiming Jimin's crimes before anyone else can. </p><p>It’s obvious that there's a connection between one of Jimin's competitors suddenly dropping dead when they try to bid against him, and his rumored mafia empire stepping in to prevent this, but it's only routine for everyone to turn a blind eye to it, regardless of how apparent it is. </p><p>After all, Jimin owns half of the news stations in Korea and considering this one is even airing the story at all, means that he personally signed off on it and is banking on this warning others not to do the same.</p><p>None of it’s useful and so he continues down to his new apartment, fiddling with the key card in his pocket. </p><p>Jimin must be confident to have it aired and there's even less of a doubt when Jimin's face had been shown alongside it. He clearly doesn’t care...or maybe he does, but either way it's dangerous.</p><p>He’s not sure if this is <em>for everyone </em>or just himself. </p><p>Yoongi’s already told Jimin that he’s returned and he wonders if he’s questioned the absoluteness to his reappearance. </p><p>Every time they’ve run into each other since things first fell apart, it's only been brief and they hardly cared about how they'd acted around each other when he’d inevitably have to return to his aunts.</p><p>Jimin made sure of that, so he can only imagine how startled he is finding out that he’s here to stay. </p><p>He’s hopeful that his front is convincing, but then again if anyone were to suspect he has alternative motives, it’s Jimin.</p><p>Officially he’s here because his manga has taken off and his publisher is in Seoul. It's convenient when an adaptation is already on the way, and with a new series in the works and fueled by spite. </p><p>Unofficially he’s here because Jimin has a lot to answer for and he’s tired of waiting. At the very least once he has his confirmations he’ll feel better about ruining his reputation and dealing back all the pain he's put him through these past few years.</p><p>He doesn’t want to <em>kill </em>Jimin necessarily, but he does want to hurt him like he’s done to him and if death brings him some sense of comfort, then who is he to deny it?</p><p>It’s suicidal, don’t get him wrong, but he’s known Jimin since they were toddlers so he’s fairly unphased by the thought. </p><p>He pauses again at this, head ducked down and bottom lip caught between his teeth. </p><p>It <em>is </em>suicidal. </p><p>Jimin had killed over someone threatening an investment and he’s seen first hand what happens when someone tries to come near what's his. Speaking plainly, he’ll probably die, and he’s not disillusioned enough to think that Jimin still feels some sort of familiarship with him to the extent that he’d spare him this. </p><p>This morning it was announced not an hour after the murder that three of the remaining eighteen buyers had withdrawn their offers from KBS, and another company Jimin has his eye on for global shipping had flat out rejected everyone else's bids. </p><p>If<em> they're</em> scared, people with enough money and power that can rival Jimin, he knows reasonably he should be too.</p><p>Namjoon winces as his lip begins to sting and his tongue grows warm with the taste of his own blood. </p><p>It’s not something he wants to think about, it has his heart unsteady and anxiety simmering beneath his skin. </p><p>Jimin's been buying more businesses lately and he can’t help but fear that entertainment agencies might one day make this list. That someday<em> Jimin </em>might be sitting across from him at a meeting with a sly smile and foxtails as he hears about the chapter he’s submitting to be published. He’s little more than a gumiho in human skin and he means it in every sense of the word. He’s sure Jimin will leap at the opportunity to toy with his heart some more especially since, after all, it will only ever be in his nature.</p><p><em> Ugh.</em> </p><p>It’s still an unpleasant thought even if it is slightly amusing. Jimin’s the one that had encourage his art and is wholly at fault for his career choice. For him to end up as his boss of sorts, would be ironic at best and sadistic to it's core.</p><p>It's still an uncomfortable thought so swallowing he wearily turns his eyes back to the streets. It’s late. Late enough to excuse drinking and he can only find it favorable the longer he mulls it over so he decides it's perfectly excusable with all he’s been through and makes his way to the first bar he sees. </p><p> </p><p>Namjoon has been at the bar for a little over an hour now. It’s small, poorly lit, but their vodka is decent enough and for the most part people leave him alone. Now on his second glass, he’s beginning to wish he had just drank at home or maybe gone to visit Yoongi and Jungkook where they could keep him company.</p><p>Before he had come here Yoongi had discouraged him from drinking in public and if he doesn’t kill him just as he knocks on their door, he’s sure Jungkook will. It wasn’t really necessary. Jimin’s dad had taken debts from clients on Thursdays and it's common knowledge Hiraeth has carried on this legacy.</p><p>With Yoongi's words replaying in his head, he finds himself almost wishing that this is one of the bars in debt to Hiraeth, so that maybe, just maybe, he’ll have a chance to meet Jimin again.</p><p>It's tradition to run into him at the most inconvenient times and drunk he can’t help but feel a little nostalgic. Hopefully this time he won’t threaten to blow his brains out but with another glass and the right prompting, he could probably find this too fond in its own fucked up way.</p><p>Then again, he knows it's more likely that Jimin will just <em>send </em>someone to fuck over this poor bar owner, least of all visit everyone who owes him something. He’s sure this number is much larger than the modest <em>four hundred </em>it had been when they were eleven and he was quote <em>trying to show his dad he was ready to take on the family business. </em></p><p>Then again he supposes in the right scenarios that could work out well for him too. He would ask one of Jimin’s men about getting him a fake<em> ID</em>. He doubts it would be too difficult to play it off as the other bars didn’t believe his own and he could probably gain sincerity by insulting someone who owes them a debt by claiming that this one has shit alcohol. </p><p>Once he’s secured the contact for the ID he could have a friend trace the number and use that to get into his phone. Jimin might not be dumb enough to keep important information on his phone but he doubts the same can be said for his underlings.</p><p>It’s a pretty solid plan, at least it's a good one to come up with while drunk so he allows a humored smile to play at his lips. </p><p>It’s a good plan but as much as it would work on any other mafia, he’d taught Jimin almost everything he knows in hopes of preparing him to take on an empire. Jimin would realize what's going on in an instance and when he can’t retreat back home to Ilsan this time he knows he’ll recognize his intent.</p><p>Bored, he lets his eyes sweep over the mostly empty bar. In Ilsan, a few fights would typically break out to entertain him, here though, even with the heart of Hiraeth being in Seoul, nothing of interest has yet to happen.</p><p>He guesses <em>Thursdays </em>do more than Yoongi’s half-assed warning and actually keep people away.</p><p>As he turns his gaze back towards his drink, they freeze halfway across the bar and to where three men are entering one of the curtains closed rooms off to the side.</p><p>He drops his eyes back down to his glass, bringing it to his lips and drinking it in deep. At the sound of a muffled cry sounding from the room, his throat hesitates around the liquid.</p><p>
  <em> ...he really shouldn’t... </em>
</p><p>Swallowing hard he takes out his wallet, placing a few bills on the counter before getting up and walking down towards the commotion.</p><p>Maybe he’s a little curious, maybe he’s a masochist, but all in all he’s <em>bored </em>and seeing someone get their teeth kicked in over one drunken fight or another sounds far more entertaining than returning home or to Yoongi who will just scold him while he isn’t sober enough to keep from sulking.</p><p>The two other people who had been sitting at the bar with him also seem interested and wryly Namjoon wonders if this counts as a blow to his morality. It’s still fucked up to watch someone get beaten up, but somehow knowing others are equally as hopeful has his pride wounded.</p><p>One of the men is sighing and shaking their head, as if they should have anticipated something to happen on <em>this </em>day, while the other simply takes out their phone and steps past the curtain to film.</p><p>Following suit, he steps into the room and is instantly greeted with the sight of two men on the floor, bloody and bound all while two <em>others </em>that he had first seen enter stand over them. </p><p>All in all it looks as is every stereotype he’s seen in movies and he knows Jimin must be somewhere miles away and smug as fuck over this little theatric even if he can’t see it. </p><p><em> Well </em>someone <em>is </em>filming it so maybe he will. </p><p>Namjoon isn’t entirely phased at the sight, he’s seen worse but he manages to shut his mouth with a glance to the side and to where the strangers he had entered with are watching the scene with interest.</p><p>The two men who seem responsible for the battery below them don’t look as if they care that they’re being watched. </p><p>"What’d they do?" The stranger filming asks and instead of being ignored, the two men turn to eye him.</p><p>"Violated conditions," One man says, gun in his grasp, sporting vibrant red hair and an overall soft face. He’s free of any scars and for a moment Namjoon’s surprised he’s even in this business given how little he resembles a gang member. </p><p>"Which o-one this time?" The other stranger asks, voice quivering and from how he’s hugging the curtain, he’s willing to bet he had once crossed them too. </p><p>"He hired us to take a hit on some girl…" A new voice says, and snapping his head over he finds the third person lounging on a couch, a cigarette hanging from plush lips as he brings a lighter to it.</p><p>The room is too dark to make out much of anything else, but his heart is already cold in his throat as he stares at the silhouette in disbelief. </p><p><em> This isn’t a part of the plan- </em>he can’t ask for a fucking <em>ID</em> while <em>he’s </em>here!- <em>No. </em>Of <em>course </em>he’d be here. This is probably karma for thinking of something so simple.</p><p>"...<em>but </em>he didn't think to mention it was because she was going to testify against him…" the male continues. His voice is honey sweet, tone conversational, though he gets the feeling he’s rather pissed. If he is who he’s hoping (<em>is he hoping…? He would surely put a bullet through his head if he recognizes him </em>), then he’s definitely going to draw this out.</p><p>He only knows the weight of violating one of Hiraeth’s conditions from the last time he’d run into Jimin. Then, Jimin had found him in an alley and for the first time in years they’d managed to find common ground. </p><p><em> Then</em>, he had found out that between the two of them, he’d probably been to blame for his friends tattered morality even if he doesn’t fault him. </p><p>Then again he’s not really sure if what had happened makes Jimin out to be a better person or not. He thinks so, is a little relieved honestly but thinking this probably damns the very thought. </p><p>Jimin has always been very particular about his revenge. He takes <em>an eye for an eye </em>to a whole nother level and when his number one rule is <em>Don’t touch what's mine </em>and he practically owns Seoul...</p><p>This violation, must have been bad if Jimin didn’t have someone else tend to it or at least text Yoongi or Jungkook to handle it.</p><p>"...you don't have a knife this time…" Namjoon can’t help but say and instantly he regrets his words, with the realization that if it was too dark for him to immediately recognize Jimin then he probably hadn’t noticed either. </p><p>
  <em> ...shit. </em>
</p><p>Jimin is probably going to bring another box of cigarettes to the cemetery after this.</p><p>If Jimin hadn’t recognized him before, he definitely does now. That is, if this even is Jimin. He can easily remember Jimin having a <em>no smoking </em>policy for all his men, shrugging it off with some bullshit that it will give them cancer and that he won’t bury anyone for anything less than a bullet.</p><p>Of course this doesn't mean that Jimin follows his own advice. </p><p>The male remains silent for several long moments before his associate's gaze seem to get to him and he finally stands up and steps forward. With light streaming in from the parted curtain, he can see Jimin now clear as day. </p><p>He only looks mildly annoyed as he slips his lighter back into his pocket, cigarette still caught between his lips. After several deafening moments, Jimin takes the cigarette between two of his fingers, pulling it back and swallowing noticeably.</p><p>He had half expected him to blow smoke at him, but he isn't sure if it’s safe to comment on his kindness. </p><p>"Yoongi mentioned the plague was back…should have known you'd choose <em>Thursdays </em>to drink." Jimin scoffs, eyes folding shut as he sighs heavily. </p><p>"<em>Plague?</em>" Namjoons sounds affronted even to his own ears but Jimin doesn’t comment on the nickname. "You let just anybody watch you kill someone?" </p><p>It’s stupid.<em> Really </em>stupid. Does he not think someone will go to the cops one day? He needs to be more careful...especially with someone <em>filming</em>. </p><p>Namjoon swears his dad taught him better than this but lately it's only been a swore topic and ever since they were thirteen. He doesn’t seriously want to piss Jimin off his first day back so he stays silent.</p><p>"<em>T</em><em>hat's the plague?</em>" The other one of Jimin's men asks. This one has black hair, plush lips and mocking eyes. </p><p>He looks like this is absolutely <em>hilarious </em>and meeting Jimin's gaze he finds it a mirror as something annoyed flashes through them. </p><p>Jimin ignores him, his eyes staying steady on his own. Slowly, Jimins lips part. </p><p>"Jin, Hoseok...<em>kill them</em>." </p><p>Before Namjoon can so much as blink, his eyes have widened as the two men jump into action, pulling knives out of thin air before placing them to the two bound men’s throats. </p><p>They don’t even have the chance to scream, their throats slit and his mouth falls open at their lack of hesitance. </p><p>The moment the two men, Jin and Hoseok, have pushed the bodies away from them, Namjoon realizes that there's a chance he won’t be getting out of this alive. </p><p>For a moment he can’t help but think that Yoongi had been right to tell him not to come back to Seoul, that Jimin has only ever seen him as a burden since he’d taken on Odium- <em>Hiraeth-</em> and for the rest of his life, that’s all he’ll ever be. </p><p>That now, he’s nothing to Jimin but a plague. </p><p>“Jimin,” He starts, his breath faltering as the two men move forward. He’s nearly positive the ones behind him have shifted to block the exit and somehow it has him hoping they’ll attack him at the very least so he can confirm Jimin's first rule. </p><p>He’s not suicidal and so his eyes turn past Jin and Hoseok, finding a steel door clearly marked as an exit. </p><p>Jimin’s eyes are still on him as he slowly breaths in his cigarette. His posture is casual. His eyes return to the door. </p><p>His men won’t act without an order and if they know him as <em>the plague </em>then it's entirely likely they’re even more weary to take one of Jimin's kills. Jimin on the other hand likes to draw things out, so he’s willing to bet he has thirty seconds to escape before he realizes what he’s doing. </p><p>Hoseok had glanced back at Jimin for confirmation before killing his target so he’s probably the least dangerous as far as <em>assassins </em>go. </p><p>Quickly Namjoon forces himself to close the gap between himself and Jin, grabbing him by the shoulders and bringing his knee up to his stomach hard. As expected he startles easily, letting out a winded noise before he’s thrown onto Hoseok. </p><p>
  <em> Nine. </em>
</p><p>Grabbing at the hands clasped over his stomach, Namjoon pulls the knife away from Jin before tossing it to the ground and shoving at him hard enough to send Hoseok stumbling back. He hasn’t moved to attack him, instead he looks far more concerned with his partner and it almost makes him want to scoff. </p><p>
  <em> Seventeen. </em>
</p><p>Jimin is probably too stunned to do anything yet, but then again he knows he doesn’t have time for pettiness no matter how much he wants to punch him. </p><p>Shoving the backdoor open, Namjoon ignores how the alarm shrieks loudly. It’ll probably cut off five seconds from how loud it is so he doesn’t waste time darting outside and down the alley. </p><p>As if realizing what he’s trying to do, he can hear Jimin yelling something as he makes a turn. It’s dark, too dark, and there's little indicator as to which outlet will be best to go down. </p><p>It’s nothing he’s too concerned about. He just needed to get away and if it's too dark for him, then the same can be said for Jimin as well. </p><p>Jimin has a gun- his men have guns- they had just killed two people and Jimin probably wants him dead. It’s a thought that has him anxious as he tries to accept gravity of the situation as he sprints down to the left. </p><p>Namjoon can’t hear the sound of footsteps, can’t hear anything really, stopping, now on the sidewalk, he pauses, glancing around into the darkness only to find nothing. </p><p>Ah. </p><p>Of course they wouldn’t chase after him. </p><p>Jimin knows he’s not a threat, at least for now that is. He’s already known him and his crimes, so who's to say anything will happen if he gets away? He can’t go to the cops. Not that he trusts them. There’s just nothing he can do simply put. </p><p>Maybe this is Jimin’s way of scaring him away for now. It’s not like this is the first time he’s killed in front of him. </p><p>A small part of him feels that he should be unnerved by this. He had just witnessed another murder. </p><p>Then again, he knows Jimin isn’t one to lie, and from what he’d said about the men, one of them at least, ordering the hit- well, he can’t deny that they deserved death especially when Jimin only personally sees to heavy injustices. </p><p>If anything, he’d been merciful, made it a painless one for them. He’s sure if he hadn’t intervened then considering how bad their crimes could be, Jimin would have ended up cutting off their dicks. </p><p>At least it sounds like something he’d do. </p><p>Falling into a crouch he pants heavily, eyes moving up to survey the street signs. He recognizes none of the names and he finds himself wishing he had just gone home while it was still light and he could take a bus back to his place. Pulling his phone out he squints down at the screen as he types in the address he’d sent his things to.</p><p>“So tell me,” </p><p>The voice has Namjoon jumping from his spot, head snapping up and over to where Jimin's standing, gun in hand and the other in his pocket. With the streetlights, he can see Jimin better now, and it seems age has only done him good. </p><p>He’s nothing short of attractive, with crescent eyes, a cocky smile, and soft cheeks that have yet to age as the rest of him has despite the eight years since they’d last properly seen each other.</p><p>Now, with his death likely minutes away, he doesn’t care enough to avert his gaze even as Jimin pulls him back into the alley and tosses him against a wall. </p><p>Jimin still looks the same as when they were little. He still has chubby cheeks and bright eyes...he’s willing to bet his lips are still as soft as they had been so many years ago and mildly he’s aware that <em>this </em>is above all the nail in his coffin.</p><p>“Namjoon, tell me...what brings you back to Seoul?” Jimin’s eyes are on his gun as he rolls it over in his hand. He’s almost surprised that he seems so sure that he won’t run again, not to have even keep an eye on him. Then again it’s not like he can outrun a bullet. </p><p>“My publisher is here...” Namjoon admits. It’s one of the reasons he’s here at least, something Jimin must already know because he nods absently. </p><p>A small part of him almost wants to ask if Jimins read his story or if it's stupid to assume so. If he had, he likes to think he’d have taken the offer. </p><p>To him he’s only ever been able to think that <em>Hiraeth </em>is a cry for help. It feels deliberate and Jimin pours his heart into everything he does. </p><p>It’s exactly why Jimin goes by <em>Aeipathy</em>, and why he’d titled his manga <em>Metanoia</em>. He wants Jimin to prove him wrong, he wants to forgive him even if he’s right but this is the only step he’s confident enough to make. </p><p>Even if Jimin hadn’t realized what he was trying to say it's been years, too long for him to clarify what he’d meant and he doubts Jimin will be in the confessing mood unless it's to scare him away properly this time. </p><p>Well, he’s just tried to run away from him so he’ll probably do more than that.</p><p>Namjoon takes the chance to glance over the rest of his body. He has one hand on his gun, and he can easily make out the outline of a knife beneath his jacket. His eyes dart down his pants, freezing on his boots. He’s sure he still heeds his advice and has a knife hidden there as well. </p><p>None of them seem like weapons he’d be able to grab. He might be able to throw him off guard enough to wrestle his gun away if he acts like he’s going for it though. </p><p>“Your <em>publisher...</em>I thought you finished your little manga?” Jimin hums tapping his gun to the air before his face animatedly. His manga was hardly <em>little</em>, as recognizable as Jimin is he is too and with an anime adaptation on the way it had been an eager excuse to move back here. </p><p>Despite it all, the real reason he’s here, he’s bitter that Jimin <em>has </em>heard of his manga, knows its name and yet he hasn’t accepted his offer.</p><p>He wants to hate Jimin but there have been too many instances throughout the years that have softened his resolve and he knows his former friend is far too stubborn to grant himself forgiveness. </p><p>It would be easy. All he would have to do is <em>lie </em>and he would jump at it but he won’t. Instead Jimin wants him to hate him just as much as he does too and yet he won’t tell him why.</p><p>“...I’m planning another, it’s going to be about a vigilante killing some mob boss.” It’s not really a dangerous confession though Jimin doesn’t seem to take the bait. If Jimin kills him it won’t be for his tongue and well, him knowing this is favorable in itself. </p><p>If <em>hypothetically </em>the vigilante in the story finds out about the mafia’s plans to kill someone it’ll fall into the hands of the police and Hiraeth will have a weeks worth of anticipation right before the same thing happens to himself. </p><p>Of course the public will catch on, but they all already pretend that Jimin’s just a chaebol, like this however if Jimin wants to stop him he’ll either end up dead, which will out Aeipathy, or he’ll have to out himself. </p><p>“Then it’s a good thing I’m just a nasty little chaebol isn’t it?” Jimin grit's out, teeth pressed together and eyes narrowed. He looks almost as if he’s going to buy out his publisher as a personal <em>fuck you </em>and Namjoon can only swallow sharply around the laugh knotting at his throat. </p><p>That would be <em>priceless. </em>Drunk, Namjoon likes the idea of Jimin seething across from him in a meeting and it has his lips pulling wide with the thought.</p><p>“-What brought you to this bar...I told Yoongi if you were stupid enough to come back to tell you about Thursdays and my bars.” Jimin says <em>Thursdays </em>like he hadn’t given his dad the idea all those years ago.</p><p>“Your bar?” Namjoon pauses, eyes growing wide as he stares up at him. Jimin only scoffs.</p><p>“All the bars in the center of Seoul are mine. Everything in Seoul is mine. Do you know how many people are in debt to me? You are too now that I think of it…”</p><p>Namjoon stares.</p><p>“How exactly am I in debt to you?” He isn’t sure he wants to know. He knows Jimin cares more for material things and betrayals...he hadn’t betrayed Jimin or even asked for a fake ID...<em>received one </em>at least. </p><p>Now that he thinks of it, he did yell at Jimin once that if he was so good and above him then he should give him one so that he could at least get shitfaced if he has to deal with his<em> BS.  </em></p><p>He didn’t get one though. All Jimin had done was kicked him to the ground with all the spite his fifteen-year-old body could muster and told him to fuck off if he knew what was good for him. </p><p>“Well, I haven’t killed you yet...you witnessed several of my hit's...you ought to know by now I don’t allow witnesses.” Jimin says and the gun clicks as a bullet is loaded into the chamber. He forces himself to hold Jimin’s gaze. </p><p>“What...? How do you expect me to pay you back for that...with my life? Fuck you.” He snaps. Jimin only raises a brow though he doesn't miss how something fond flickers through his eyes.</p><p>“Why not stay away from me? Or at least don’t follow after me like a fucking duckling every time you see me.” Jimin doesn’t comment on his crude language, or that <em>he’d </em>technically been the duckling the last few times. Instead he only takes his gun and uses it to guide his chin up. </p><p>“Stay away? What if you try to kill someone who doesn’t deserve it...you think I trust you around Yoongi and Jungkook? I know you three are still friends. I won’t let your fucked morality rub off on them,” </p><p>“My morality?” A loud laugh tears through Jimin’s throat, lips pulling wide and body trembling as he hunches over. “Joonie-” The nickname comes out in a wheeze before being cut off by more laughter. Jimin’s eyes are squeezed shut, and despite him mocking him, he can feel his heart sinking at the sound of it because it <em>isn’t </em>cold. </p><p>If anything it's familiar, the same as when they were kids and he would do everything in his power to make his best friend happy at school, and so long as it kept his mind preoccupied with anything other than learning how to kill from the moment he was able to resist the knockback of a gun.</p><p>“Namjoon,” </p><p>He can only feel slightly disappointed as he doesn’t call him Joonie again. </p><p>“Namjoon. You’re just as bad as I am. Worse even. Maybe Yoongi and Jungkook shouldn’t hang around you. After how eager you were the other day...to help me...when I could have very well been lying to you about recognizing that man,” Jimin is grinning now, eyes crescents. </p><p>They’re now level with Jimin, half hunched over and half crouched. Namjoons not sure between hearing this and now, when he’d slid down to the ground. There's a knot in his stomach at the thought. He hadn’t forgotten, and despite the bodies to his name, he knows Jimin hadn’t let the memory slip his mind either. </p><p>“Ah, Joonie...you can’t seem to stay away…” His tone is back to mocking now. “If you want to pay me off...and we both know my shitty luck has you bumping into me, why don’t I take you on?” </p><p>Namjoon blinks back at Jimin at his words. <em>Take him on? </em>He almost wants to laugh. Him and Jimin used to talk about it when they were little, but never has he mentioned it more recently. To make matters worse he sounds serious and this doesn’t sound as if he’s accepting the olive branch. </p><p>He really doesn’t want a suicide mission. </p><p>“No.” He forces himself to say. Jimin only raises an eyebrow. </p><p>“Really? I pay my people good...why not work under me?” He asks. He knows better than to assume it would be work though. He would just be paying off this bullshit debt he’s pulling out of thin air. “I could have you trained as a hitman...or as my assistant like we used to suggest…” He can very well hear the <em>or. </em></p><p>Both of these already sound bad to him though and he doesn’t think he’ll like what he’s leading up to. </p><p>Once upon a time they’d had this thought that he would be the brains of his operations. He wouldn’t be his assistant or anything. When they were kids Jimin had said it was because they were equals, but when his dad had signed off on it upon realizing Jimin didn’t just call him his <em>little genius </em>because he was head over heels for him, his father had said that to the outside at least, it would be dangerous unless he appeared below him.</p><p>He had like the thought nonetheless. Jimin had been his best friend and knowing he didn’t think he was beneath him made the rest easy to accept and something he found himself okay with.</p><p>Now he isn’t so sure.</p><p>“Or what?” Namjoon asks, his voice cool in his throat. Jimin remains silent. Smirking down at him as he fixes himself into a more comfortable crouch. It’s only as the silence ticks on does he realize exactly how he’s looking at him. </p><p>His jaw drops open as his head hit's the back of the wall with a painful groan. Jimin seems to have been waiting for this because he can practically feel him grinning.</p><p>“Or...you could be my whore,” Jimin says and he can only find it in himself to creak an eye open to glare back at him. “I’d say you’ve grown into your body...but that's not exactly true,” He nudges his legs with his gun and they snap shut. “You’re still cute though...what’d you say? You want to have a little fun with me and pay off your debt?” Jimin’s grin is cold again, gun positioned between his thighs. </p><p>He knows Jimin’s mocking him, this god damn crush that still hasn’t wavered after <em>years</em>, and that <em>no, </em>he doesn’t really mean it. </p><p>A small part of him almost wants to say yes just to see how he’d react. Maybe he could get him to blush before he’s inevitably shot but he can already make out the hints of disgust in how the gleam to his eyes have dampened, so he thinks this game too will only come to an end if he says it.</p><p>Instead of speaking, to further dig his grave, he keeps his mouth shut.</p><p>“Yoongi just said not to kill you...I could play so nice with you, you know?” Jimin whispers, voice sweet as he moves the gun up past his thighs and rests it at his stomach. </p><p>“Jimin...” He means for it to come out as a warning, but with his voice shaking and nothing more than a whisper, he’s sure Jimin has seen through it. </p><p>“Relax,” Jimin's voice is soft as he says it, and for a split second he thinks he’s genuine in comforting him before he draws back, standing up and slips his gun into his jacket. </p><p>“I don’t have time to be fucking around or whatever, especially with fragile civilians,” Jimin isn’t looking at him now, eyes drifting across the empty streets in a manner that reminds him almost of fox but this time the thought leaves him guilty.</p><p>“...Jimin-” He starts, voice faltering as Jimin’s eyes return to him. For once he can’t read the look in his eyes. He doesn’t look angry, but then again they’re still void of any other indicator as to what he’s feeling. </p><p>“You’re back here for good?” </p><p>He nods stiffly and a soft curse falls from Jimin’s lips as he turns to stare up at the sky, seemingly annoyed. </p><p>“I’m not asking you to fuck around with me,” Namjoon starts and annoyed eyes snap down to his own. He chokes down the rest of the offer before it can get out, realizing just how stupid it is.</p><p>“Oh? You want to be friends then? Want me to kiss you goodbye like I used to hyungie?” Jimin’s arms are folded over his chest now. He really should reach for his knife and get him to stop acting so high and mighty. He’s reasonably sure he could get in three good stabs before pitty set in. </p><p>...or a bullet...then again Jimin did say Yoongi had told him not to hurt him. </p><p>“Joonie...we didn’t know how we really felt then...we’re not little anymore.” He works a hand into Namjoons hair. His hand is steady, not pushing him forward and yet the implications are clear.</p><p>“So will I get a goodbye kiss then?” He finds it in himself to ask, shaking the grip from his head and slumping against the wall. He raises a brow as Jimin’s hand falls back to his side. </p><p>He can’t help but hope he’s stubborn enough to accept the offer even though he knows he’s only bluffing.</p><p>As Jimin had said, he doesn’t have time for fucking around, though he likely meant it literally. Jimin turns his gaze from him, stepping back a few feet and further onto the sidewalk.</p><p>“Don’t show your neck around me...or you’ll learn why most everyone stays inside.” Jimin comments, pitty heavy in his words as he stalks down the streets and leaving him alone with nothing but his thoughts and the gentle hum of electricity from the street lamps.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Posting this has been long overdue but I'm only just now happy with it so here we go! This is technically a sequel to a minjoon week oneshot I wrote years ago but it can be read as a standalone so dw.</p><p>No major trigger warnings will apply for this but for more extreme forms of overall mafia-y things like mentions/depictions of violence, death, ect, I'll put tw's// and cw's// in the top notes of chapters they apply to. And to clarify the child abuse tag I don't know if it will even be read as child abuse/instead just really self-centered parenting but it'll be hinted at throughout the story so please keep it in mind and heed all tw's// and tags</p><p>Anyways if you made it this far thank you so much for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Toska- An ache, a yearning of the soul with nothing to yearn for.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Admittingly stepping into his apartment for the first time Namjoon isn’t very happy. His pride is bruised which really leaves him better off than he could have hope for considering the last few times he’s run into Jimin, but it doesn’t save him from kicking a box the moment the door clicks shuts. </p><p>He’d had all of his things delivered beforehand so he supposes it's nice that he hadn’t had to move everything himself, still he’s hardly happy or in any mood to unpack his things. </p><p>He manages to stumble out of his shoes and down to a clear spot on the floor before he drops down to the ground. His apartment hadn’t come with a bed and he’s in no mood to find and put together his own so he turns to the box at his side and begins to go through it. </p><p>It’s the one he’d like to have gotten to last and yet it can only seem fitting for tonight to spiral further. </p><p>It has over a dozen journals, binders and a heavy box at the bottom. If he buys a roll-out cork-board he thinks it’ll finish off his whole <em>destroy Hiraeth </em>aesthetic rather nicely. </p><p>If anyone else were to stumble upon it they would probably think that he’d robbed a police station with how much information he has and he can only send a silent prayer that the delivery people hadn’t been nosey. </p><p>Well, at best Yoongi and Jungkook will probably tell him he’s obsessed but they’d helped him with more than they should of so he doesn’t really care what they think. </p><p>They all want to know what happened, how Jimin had gone from sniffling at the thought of him leaving to visit family in Ilsan for a week to practically spitting on him when he was mourning his mother a month later. </p><p>He has his theories. Jimin has been at the other end of a lot of murders and though it had been ruled a car accident he also hadn’t thought that Jimin would confess to being responsible for his fathers death all at the age of thirteen so he’s not about to discount the conspiracy just yet.</p><p>Namjoon’s still unsure how he’d gotten away with that one, not when a little over a year ago a reporter had made the mistake of asking if he’d had any part in it and Jimin had only asked if she would quote <em>like a reenactment </em>while pointing to a spindle within view of the camera. </p><p>It hadn’t been released to the public, but Yoongi had told him that the corpse had been found with one stabbed through his neck and from the look on her face she knew this too. </p><p>He thinks he could always get Jimin to snap and tell him the truth if he yells at him enough, but he’d taught him a lot and he knows he still values his ill-guided charities, that he’ll keep his composure and have him giving up long before he can shatter what's left it. </p><p>For this blackmail will work best and he’s sure it’ll soon prove it’s worth more than its weight in bullets or any torture session, especially if he’s careful about it. </p><p>In Jimin's case, doing what he wants will be unavoidable. </p><p>Somehow he needs to get something on Jimin, anything. Preferably it will be some proof of his crimes if the signature crown with a line through it he carves into corpses aren’t symbolic enough. </p><p>He doubts he’ll be able to find anything on anyone he’s killed so far, least of all without implicating himself, but if he can plant a camera somewhere convenient then it’ll be enough and the rest will follow suit. Jimin’s dramatic, likes to play up his presence as <em>Aeipathy </em>and so he’s sure he’ll kill in his office. In short it’s probably the best place to hide a camera.</p><p>The next step is an idea he’s partially stealing from the devil himself but they’ve known each other for so long that their thoughts are hardly their own anymore so it's difficult to care. </p><p>Jimin has something on everyone with influence and in order to keep himself from being targeted he’s set it up so that if he doesn’t personally contact Jungkook who will then contact a friend every day, then twenty-four hours without a password being entered by the administrator to the site, all of the information he has will be released.</p><p>It's smart, enough for it to do the trick but again he can’t help but contemplate the more riskier options. Running into Jimin has left him significantly more sober than he was an hour ago, but still he’s fond of Jimin watching his own downfall and knowing there isn’t anything he can do to prevent it. </p><p>He knows it could work, but it's not as absolute, and he’s already beginning to feel guilty when he hasn’t even put pencil to paper. He wants to forgive Jimin and he trusts his gut more than anything else. He hopes that there's a good reason for this, and the thought that if he does go through with it and there is then fuck any olive branch, it wouldn’t be any different than burning down an orchard. </p><p>All things considered, this is probably one of the best interactions they’ve had as of lately and it's left him biased. If Jimin really did do everything he hopes he hasn’t then he can’t see why he’d let him live or at the very least force him out of Seoul with only a tattered heart to show for it. </p><p>Instead his warnings seems more genuine and it has him thinking back to when Jimin would tell him not to talk to any of his dads friends because he wanted what was best for him. </p><p>He really just wants to know what could have happened for things to change. For Jimin to go from asking him how he could convince his mom to let them get married when the time came to hating him with all of<em> Odiums </em>imposing weight to back it, and to be so desperate for this feeling to become mutual that he’d fight tooth and nail to give him any reason in the book.</p><p>It’s a choice he can only be uncertain of. That though time <em>isn’t </em>ticking and he’s only just come home he can’t help but feel that he’s procrastinated this long enough. </p><p>Even far from sober and with a heavy fog settled over his mind he knows reasonably he’s only so scared of any inactions because being so close to Jimin is already having him far too forgiving for any plan to work out in his favor. That given how things have gone tonight he’s inclined to believe that he’s just as bad as Jimin and that the bastard gumiho’s already escaped with his next meal.</p><p> </p><p>It’s freezing cold and Namjoon isn’t happy in the slightest. It had taken him a little over an hour to convince his mom to let him stay over at Jimin’s house and all in all it isn’t a conversation he wants to remember. </p><p>His mom has gotten better about letting him stay over at the Parks, but still he knows she doesn’t exactly like them and he’s sure Jimin's aware of this too considering he’d been a room away while he tried to convince her. </p><p>To make matters worse Jimin hadn’t seem bothered by any of this at all, seemed <em>happy </em>with what he’d definitely overheard and it makes him want to bite anyone who’s ever had anything bad to say about him. </p><p>Even if Jimin’s heard worse, even if his mom had quite likely been one of the few to say something positive about him with most of her disagreeances directed towards his fathers <em>career choice</em>- it doesn’t mean that any of <em>this </em>is something he wants him to be happy about even if it is a very <em>Jimin </em>thing for him. </p><p>It's something he’d wanted to explain to him but Jimin’s good at changing the subject and it doesn’t take much for him to get distracted.</p><p>Now, back at his apartment and sitting on the living room floor he’s startled realizing what he’s done as he’s left to thaw from their late winter walk home.</p><p>“-dads still on his health kick so we don’t have anything good but he said he’d bring home pizza.” Jimin joins him on the floor and he’s snapped from his trail of thoughts as a bag of chips is dropped on his lap and thighs press to his own.</p><p>“Wait- no- I asked you who made you think it's fine for mom to say that! You can't just look happy about it- being called a- a fox in humans skin-!” </p><p>It’s a vile thing to say especially when the older kids will tell them horrors of <em>Joseon </em>men left battered and virtually unrecognizable by monsters that are rumored to still lurk past shadows. </p><p>It’s painful to remember, leaves his chest aching because his mom <em>knows </em>Jimins scared of them even if they probably aren’t real. That <em>he’s </em>scared of them and yet she still thinks to compare his friend to one. </p><p>It’s <em>wrong,</em> he’s angry and Jimin has every right to be too! Namjoon opens his mouth to tell Jimin this only to be promptly shut up by a chip being forced past his lips. </p><p>He doesn’t know where he’d gotten the bag and it startles him. His dad usually keeps sweets and junk food locked away until someone else comes over and he hasn’t been home yet. He must have hidden it from the last time he was over before his dad could put it away-</p><p>
  <em> Wait no it's happening again-! </em>
</p><p>“It’s- It’s a bad thing! They’re monsters and you’re not! <em>She’s basically calling you manipulative-!</em>” </p><p>Jimin still doesn’t seem to understand that this is a<em> bad </em>thing. That this is nothing to blink slowly at him about with chubby cheeks and crumbs at the crease of his lip. Namjoon reaches up to brush it away automatically. </p><p>“It doesn’t bother me...I’ve heard worse and it's safer if people think I’m scary.” Jimin pulls out another chip from the bag looking smug and Namjoon eyes him dirtily. </p><p>For a moment he considers mentioning to his dad that Jimin likes veggie chips but he thinks it’ll just make Jimin think <em>he’s </em>mean for doing something so cruel so for the both of their sakes he doesn’t.</p><p>“You’re not scary either!” Namjoon shoves Jimin realizing what he’s said and the other falls down to his back with an audible <em>oomph</em>. Namjoon drops down too, throwing an arm around him so he doesn’t sit back up and go for the chips again. It’s a serious conversation and he needs Jimin to know that this isn’t okay!</p><p>He’s going to be a mafia boss one day- and if he wants to be successful then he can’t just let people talk bad about him! He says as much but Jimin only continues to look skeptical. </p><p>“...well...it’ll change soon enough. Dad said I’m old enough to take on a larger role and I haven’t burned myself the last couple of times I fired a gun...” <em>so he expects me to do it again</em>, Jimin doesn’t say but it's certainly another reason to make people scared of him.</p><p>Namjoon doesn’t like it. It’ll be the first time his dad won’t be there to hold his hand and so he feels like he should step in and do this because Jimins not that tough. </p><p><em> Yeah </em>he’d been born ready to bear this weight- to kill people, but he still cries whenever they watch one of those scary movies they’re not supposed to- so if he can’t handle seeing it on tv, how is he supposed to <em>actually </em>do it?!</p><p>It’s dangerous. <em>Really dangerous </em>and again it makes him want to bite someone but he wants Jimin's dad to like him so he can’t.</p><p>His dad won’t be helping him with anything. He won’t tell him what to do, where his target is, or even how to do it, just that it needs to be done by his eighth birthday. </p><p>Four weeks and Namjoon wishes it were further away. </p><p>If Jimin's target gets twenty-three years to prepare himself for an attempt on his life, he thinks that Jiminie should have the same right as well and yet he doesn’t. He’s had less time to prepare to kill someone who’s bigger than him, stronger than him and he was only given a<em> name. </em></p><p>Failure isn’t even an option. </p><p>If he doesn’t meet his moms expectations then that's fine. Well, it <em>isn’t. </em>She’ll be upset but he knows that the consequences of failing a test will come from her and not a red-inked grade. </p><p>If Jimin’s allowed to be upset at that, convince him of some other way, then he thinks that he should have at least some other option than failure meaning death. </p><p>He doesn’t think it's something Jimin understands yet. He’s younger than him but he’s not dumb, and even now he knows he doesn’t get it yet himself. He understands that this part of his dads reasoning in a way. </p><p>That if Jimin doesn’t completely understand what it means to take someones life, to die, then it’ll be easier for him to actually do it and not slip up. </p><p>He also knows that Jimin's dad isn’t going to put Jimin in harms way. That he’s given him an easy target that might not even fight back, and that he probably just wants to see if he’s comfortable with killing someone if the time ever comes and it's something he can’t afford to hesitate over. </p><p>Namjoon knows this, that Jimin <em>is </em>ready, and that even with their plan he’s not allowed to do anything unless his dad gives the <em>okay </em>first. That since he’d asked to see his plan in the first place that he’ll have others nearby in case things go south, but nonetheless it's an anxiety he can’t help but share. </p><p>Even if Jimin's dad is going to make sure that this mission is a success he knows it’ll fail in at least one way. That while Jimin won’t die, a part of him might and he’s scared knowing father and son are unbothered by this even if worse is expected of a mafia heir.</p><p>“...you’re worrying again.” Jimin says. He’s still laying on his side facing him and he hasn’t tried to grab the chips again. He looks nervous and it makes his throat shudder with the sight. </p><p>He doesn’t know how to explain to him that this isn’t right. That this isn’t normal for dad’s to expect this of their kids and even if said kid wants this,<em> he’s a kid!</em> What do they know?! </p><p>If Jimin father can’t trust his son not to buy sweets on the way home from school then how can he trust him when he says he’s a big boy and ready to become the crown-prince-!?</p><p>He’s tried to point it out once but Jimin is good at distracting him. Maybe in a sense he <em>is </em>manipulative, but just so he doesn’t have to talk about things he doesn’t want to. </p><p>Instead he’ll point out that it's not any different than his own situation. That his mom loves him just the same his dad loves him. That it's not any different than his mom expecting him to get an<em> A</em> on a test, to be a genius though he’s failed every exam that would label himself as one and so his moms trying to build him up with lies and hours of studying. </p><p>Still, it feels different. Jimin can always cry and tell him how he’s going to kill his mom for her tough-love and wanting what's best for him but he can hardly do the same. </p><p>Jimin's dad is nice to them but he’s also dangerous. He likes him, and he hasn’t ever hit Jimin or anything, but this pressure on his shoulders feels on par with being struck when he does something he’s not supposed to. </p><p>All the same, he can’t tell Jimin he’ll kill his dad for sighing at him disappointingly when it’ll hurt Jimin just as much as when he’s hit. </p><p>It’s stupid, and he knows he can just <em>tell</em> Jimin’s dad he doesn’t think Jimins ready and he’ll listen to him far more than his son, but then Jimin will be crushed knowing he’s cut off this opportunity before he’s even gotten it and he hates the thought of betraying him like this. </p><p>“-You’re plan is good Joonie. Seriously don’t worry.” Jimin's voice is tearing him from his thoughts once again, this time followed by the weight of his mouth against his own. It’s comforting but still his chest goes tight for a brief moment with the fear that someone might have seen. </p><p>No one else is home so he knows no one has but still it's a fear that has recently surfaced for the both of them. </p><p>Jimin is scared because people try to kill him because of who his dad is and so this might make him a target too. He’s scared because he doesn’t want this getting back to his mom. If she hates that they’re friends he knows she’ll forbid them from hanging out if she finds out.</p><p><em> “-Joonie?”</em> Jimin pokes his cheek. “...come on, I’ve seen what happens to you when your mom holds your hand, this is a good thing isn’t it?”</p><p><em> Thats harsh Jimin.</em> Namjoons hands twitch but he just barely manages to keep from shoving them under himself. </p><p>“Right...” Namjoon tries to smile in what he hopes is reassuring. Truth be told he doesn’t think Jimin will die. He’s made a good plan and he doesn’t see how it will go wrong. </p><p>Jimin had first been told to kill<em> Lee Seungji </em>a little over a month ago and they’d spent the first week researching who he is. </p><p>His dad had just given him a name, a fairly common one but he wouldn’t tell him to kill just anyone so it hadn’t taken long before they’d found a Lee Seungji working for his father as a contract killer. </p><p>Jimin had asked his dad how he’d felt about his employee since then and had gathered that <em>yes </em>it was the right Lee Seungji and his dad wanted him dead for <em>embezzling </em>funds- <em>stealing </em>or something and from there the rest had been easy. </p><p>They’d decided that it would be easiest to poison him. Jimin is small for his age and even if he can pick him up and carry him to trouble he can’t very well do that to a grown man, let alone win a fight.</p><p>Neither of them know where to get poison, again, Jimin's dad isn’t going to help and he’s resolved to bite him at least once even if this is probably just a precaution to discourage Jimin from following through with this. </p><p>Without a way to get poison they’ve decided to go with alcohol. It’s not as predictable, but his mom had made him read up on old medical practices a few months ago so the information is easy to recall. </p><p>If Jimin injects alcohol into the bloodstream then the least that will happen is the person will immediately be inebriated, easier to injure and tie up before killing him. At worst his target could have a heart attack but since Jimin needs to find out the bank account number he’d wired the money to they need him alive at least for a little. </p><p>He’s already stolen some of his moms whiskey, and so the only thing left to do is find a time to inject the man. </p><p>It’s less of waiting out the clock and more of waiting for the right time. Jimin’s the heir to Odium so he’s not worried about this either. If he asks Seungji to help him find his dad and gets him alone then the rest is done. </p><p>He’s more worried about how it will affect Jimin once he’s killed, and if it doesn’t then when it will once it sets in for him.</p><p>“...Jiminie,” Namjoon starts, taking a deep breath and holding it until his lungs have turned cool. “When he’s dead I want you to come over.” </p><p>It’s something he’s been considering for a while now and though he’d wanted to say it better than this, he knows Jimin could kill him any day now considering he carries the needle in his pocket everywhere he goes. It something that has to be said. </p><p>“...that sounds dumb hyung.” Jimin says <em>hyung </em>like it makes up for calling him dumb and Namjoon scowls. Jimins not <em>wrong </em>per se, but it doesn’t mean he wanted him to say this either. </p><p>“Just do it okay. I’ll leave my window unlocked and if I’m not in my room just come inside and wait for me.” </p><p>“Your mom will be mad. You know she doesn’t like me coming in the house.” </p><p>Again, Namjoon is left wishing he wouldn't say this even though he’s right. His mom used to be okay with it, but somewhere between her finding them holding hands when she picked him up from school since it was raining, and a story on the news airing about an ambassadors family being murdered in their sleep, she’d decided animals shouldn’t be allowed in the house and that this includes foxes. </p><p>“I don’t care. I want you to stay the night...and...and if you don’t want to sleep at my place just leave a note on my desk and I’ll sneak out and come over.” Namjoon nods to himself, resolved that one way or another he won’t let Jimin wake up to a nightmare without someone there to comfort him, and that Jimin will be okay even after taking a life. </p><p>Jimin stays silent for a long moment, watching him with furrowed brows before he seems to accept this with his bottom lip trapped between his teeth and a short nod. </p><p>“...in case I’m hurt.” Jimin says with a nod and Namjoon sighs out a breath of relief. </p><p>It’s as dumb as it was when they’d first decided on it. That if one of them were hurt they’d help each other no matter what, and that this meant kissing each others pain away. It’s dumb but Jimin’s still attached to the notion and he guesses in a way he is too.</p><p><em> “-Jimin!</em> Namjoon-ah, I brought pizza.” The familiar voice of Jimin’s father calls out and they both jump away from each other. Namjoon fixes his clothes so it doesn’t look like he was just hugging the heir to <em>Odium </em>on the floor and Jimin lunges to hide the bag of chips under the couch. </p><p>Namjoon rolls his eyes but can’t keep from smiling. </p><p><em> “Dad-!</em> Did you get my text and bring soda-?” Jimin jumps up and over the couch instead of walking around it just as Namjoon forces himself to stand up and join them in the kitchen.</p><p>“No Jimin, I’m not sitting through Mrs.Kim’s wrath if Namjoon ends up with cavities because of your sweet tooth.” </p><p>Namjoon turns red at the mention of his name, standing up straighter and bowing quickly. </p><p>“Thank you for the food Mr.Park.” Namjoon bows again for good measures. </p><p>“None of that now, the foods getting cold.” Jimin's dad waves him off with a kind smile and Jimin shoves him before his anxieties can resurface.</p><p>It’s unnecessary, Jimin's dad is nice, nicer than he’d expect the leader of Odium to be and yet despite how long they’ve been friends he can’t help but lean towards being overly-polite around any of his friends parents. It’s a habit, one he doubts he’ll ever break but one that Jimin's dad always manages to shrug off. </p><p>Jimin passes him a plate and a slice of pizza as Namjoon sits down besides him and he mumbles out another thank you as they begin to eat. </p><p>“I don’t have much time because I have a meeting in a few hours,” Mr.Park begins and he hears Jimin grumble something under his breath. </p><p>It's not that Jimin's dad is particularly absent from Jimin's life, in fact for a single father Namjoon would say he does a better job than most two-parent households, instead it's that for whatever reason it is he always chooses to have serious discussions right as he’s about to walk out the door. </p><p>It’s not something Namjoon understands. Jimin had rolled his eyes and explained it once, that spies are less likely to listen in if his dad is in one location for a short amount of time. </p><p>Jimin seems to think it's just as dumb as he does and yet he watches him pull out his phone to write down whatever it is he’s about to say. </p><p>Namjoon also thinks it's dumb for Jimins dad to talk about work with him around but for whatever reason it is neither of them seem to care. He’s brought this up too but Mr.Park had only laughed it off with a pat to his head and said that Jimin will just tell him once he leaves. </p><p>Which is true, but still a little mortifying. </p><p>“Ah- sorry,” Mr.Park's returns his own phone back to his pocket. “I read over your plan. It has a high success rate, I’m proud that you were able to come up with this on your own.” </p><p>At this Jimin's mouth drops open and Namjoon smacks his arm for him to close his mouth and finish chewing. Jimin does so spitefully. </p><p><em> “You didn’t even read past the first page!</em> If you did you’d know that it’s Namjoons plan!” </p><p>Namjoon looks between the two Parks hastily. He’d known that Jimin was going to tell his dad their plan-<em> but is it okay to tell him it's his if he’s supposed to be on his own for this-? </em></p><p>“Well the first page looked solid and anything else from there would be easy enough to pull off.” </p><p>Jimin hardly looks satisfied with his answer. </p><p>“I didn’t think you’d come up with something like this honestly Namjoon-ah.” Mr.Park says it like it's concerning, like he’s going to ask his mom what she’s letting him watch on tv for him to think of this and he pales at the thought. </p><p>Jimin only laughs. </p><p>“Uhh...” Namjoons not sure what to say to that. </p><p>“It’s a good plan, don’t look so worried. Jimin’s more than capable, if he weren’t then I’d never tell him to do this.” Mr.Park ruffles Jimin's hair before waving to him with a few parting words and leaving. </p><p>Mr.Park isn’t one to lie, but he’s his dad so he can’t help but feel he’s biased and over-estimating Jimin. </p><p>Namjoon blinks at the feeling of lips being pressed to his cheek, turning his head and sending Jimin an odd look. He knows he’ll kiss him if he zones out because he thinks he’s hurting on the inside, but this isn’t an anxiety he wants Jimin to know and so he’s been careful to keep from showing it. </p><p>Jimin has enough on his plate. He’s the one who's actually going to have to kill someone, to bear the burden and not just pat his friend on the back once he’s gone through with it. He needs to be strong. </p><p>“What was that for?” Namjoon asks. Jimins mouth twitches slightly from where his lips are pressed together hard. </p><p>“You’re a good liar but not to me.” Jimin says it after a long moment before scooting his stool closer to his own. “You’re hurting so of course I’ll kiss you.” </p><p>Namjoon lets his eyes drop back down to the counter. He’s always know he’d never be able to keep anything from Jimin but in moments like these Namjoon wishes he could.</p><p> </p><p>It isn’t until a week later and Namjoons finally settled in does his luck seem to run out once more. He had been hoping that being back in Seoul and so close to Hiraeth would be a blessing as much as it isn’t, that the smaller gangs would keep to the outskirts and were the crown doesn’t care to keep his citizens in check but it seems this impression wasn’t meant to last long. </p><p>He’d just finished getting settled in and so he’d swung by Yoongi and Jungkook’s place to pick up Moni after they’d agreed to take him in until he could unpack. </p><p>He would have thought that even though it was past dark a dog would be enough to turn away hopeful muggers but of course they’d seen through the facade and that Moni would only ever be a very good boy and he’d been dragged down into an alley with the cold steel of a blade biting at his neck.</p><p>Turning his eyes down he finds Moni nudging his face into the males free hand and again he can’t help but wish he’d stayed in Ilsan.</p><p>“You’re new here,” A voice says and his head snaps up with a dull pain at the sound of how young it is. </p><p>He has half a right mind to punch him for being out past midnight-<em> curfew,</em> and even more to tell this fetus that <em>he’s </em>the new one if anything. Namjoon doesn’t only because he can feel something warm beading at his neck and slipping over the blade and in the end he really doesn’t want anything to happen to Moni.</p><p><em> “Hey!</em> When I’m talking to you you need to answer me-!” The kids voice falters as he begins patting down his sides and he’s left wholly unamused. </p><p>He doubts he’s going to kill him and so Namjoon can only breathe out a sigh and let his eyes flicker over him. He doesn’t see any tattoos so this is probably part of a gang initiation.</p><p>Mildly Namjoon wonders how he knows he’s new here or just why he cares. If this means he’s been following him, and again he’s left wondering if Jimin’s been slacking off while he’s been playing chaebol these last few years.</p><p>“...can I have my wallet back?” Namjoon finds it in himself to ask once the blades left his neck so that the kid can look through his wallet. </p><p>Having ran into Jimin just a few days ago and witnessed two murders, he finds himself desensitized and hardly phased by some would-be toddler who doesn’t look as if he’s yet to grow into the horrors of a gang.</p><p>At the very least he’s laughable compared to Jimin who will quite literally use a blade to fuck someone over with if it's deserving.</p><p>The thought has a wry smile playing at his lips.</p><p>Whenever he does something like this it's hard to fault him, tends to be fitting and yet he doubts he’d spare this kid from his first rule if it gets out he’d killed him in a mugging. He doubts Jimin would <em>kill </em>him or anything, he’d probably go after whoever had given the brat such a loose leash but still he knows he’ll leave a lasting impression. </p><p>Wearily he glances at the boy still thumbing through his wallet and then back to Moni who looks disappointed at the lack of attention he’s receiving. Moni doesn’t like strangers and so he can only mourn the realization that <em>this one </em>is the exception. </p><p>“Kim Namjoon?” The male asks, his ID in hand as he holds it up to the sky. Hesitantly, he nods. It isn’t like it’s something he can deny with his face being mirrored back at the kid. He looks a little nervous so hopefully this will scare him off if anything. “I received word that you haven’t paid your fee...” </p><p>
  <em> ...my what?  </em>
</p><p>“Fee. For your protection.” The male’s eyes have returned to his own and once again he’s reminded just how young he is and that it’ll probably haunt him for years if he punches a highschooler so he can escape. He should have taken an uber home- why did he decide to walk? The weather isn’t even that nice. </p><p>In all honesty, it would probably be best to go out only on thursdays. Jimin hadn’t killed him last time, and he’s sure he doesn’t let stray kits wander around like this.</p><p>“I don’t need protection from Hiraeth.” </p><p>The kid stares at him with narrowed eyes and red cheeks. </p><p>“Oh ho ho- but you really do going around and speaking the name like that, the fee is fifty thousand won a month,” The stranger pauses to shake his wallet pointedly. “You don’t have any cash?” </p><p>Namjoon almost wonders if he should suggest using a cash app or if he’s old enough to realize he’ll just decline the request and go to the police. Or Jimin but that might be a little to cruel and he doesn’t actually want to owe him any favors.</p><p>“What kind of gang thinks they can protect me from Hiraeth..? Can you just give me my wallet back, I need to get home it’s past Moni’s bedtime.” </p><p>The kid stares at him with wide eyes, lips twitching around an objection as he glances down to Moni who’s scooted forward to nudge at his hand once more.</p><p><em> “Gang?! </em>I have a- have a fucking knife to your throat!” The male chokes out, whipping his knife back down to his side as his wallet slips through his grasp. His eyes follow it down to where it lands on the pavement. </p><p>“Okay? What- how don’t you know I’m not in debt to Hiraeth or something? Jimin will be pissed if he knows I got stabbed before I could pay him back.” He says bending down to collect his wallet. </p><p>It isn’t until he’s pocketed it does he notice the stranger’s jaw has fallen open and he looks like he’s going to throw up. Namjoon takes an uncertain step back and tugs on Moni’s collar so he falls to his side.</p><p>“Don’t- don’t say his name what's wrong with you!” The stranger frantically looks up and down the alley, eyes wide and hands shaking as he pushes him to the wall, knife no where to be seen. </p><p>“I can say his name, it’s a name, it’s not like someone from Hiraeth is gonna hear...or care,” Namjoon says, gently prying the kids hands from his shirt and watching as he willingly stumbles back, no longer seeming interested in mugging him- or whatever it was he had been trying that is. </p><p>“Not gonna hear?!” The strangers hands fly up to his hair clearly frustrated. “In this part of town-” The words die as realization seems to dawn on the male. “Oh god you’re new here that's right- look you can’t be in this part of town- and say that- his name! Even saying Hiraeth is bad for me!” </p><p>It's a bold statement for someone to think they can rival Hiraeth whose terror spares few and reaches throughout all corners of Korea. Judging from how the stranger is free of any tattoos signifying he belongs to a gang, he isn’t sure he wants to know what has him so confident that he’d have a better time getting away with voicing his name than <em>him. </em></p><p>He knows Jimin has a reputation for killing anyone he wants to, regardless of their reputation, but he’s also more likely to spare them too considering it’s a mess to keep under wraps. His life isn’t in <em>that </em>much danger- <em>fuck</em>, if it were Jimin would have had his works blacklisted by now!</p><p>“Okay- right- you need to stick to populated streets if you come down this way- if someone in Park’s inner circle finds you…” </p><p>His words grow deaf as something strikes him. Someone <em>finds </em>him? Hadn’t the stranger come looking for him? He isn’t just trying to mug him- the first thing he’d said to him was that he’s <em>new</em>. </p><p>So he had been trailing him- someone had sent him to find him. </p><p>“Why did <em>you</em> find me?” He interrupts him and startled eyes meet his own. </p><p>“...I...um- we were notified by an informant that you moved here- so you haven’t paid your fee for sure...so uh-” The kid fumbles over an explanation, looking awkward and he wonders just how he’s going to make it in a gang-<em> opposing</em> Jimin when he can’t even maintain eye contact for less than a minute. </p><p>Really he can’t help but pity him. </p><p>“...right...uh, since you’re just a kid- do you need me to walk you home?”</p><p><em> “What?!-</em> Don’t call me a kid!” </p><p>“Then what should I call you?” Namjoon retorts and the strangers eyes narrow once again. </p><p>“Choi Yeonjun aka<em> Toska.</em>” He says it confidently, raising a brow as if he expects the name to have him proud. This is something he finds is startling, because shouldn’t he have said this to <em>scare </em>him...? He really doesn’t get kids. </p><p>He knows of the name but then again he doesn’t. It makes sense for him to use an alias, not so much for him to say his real name. Then again he’s a kid so it's hard to expect much.</p><p>Yeonjuns face falls after several silent moments of staring back at him as if realizing that he’s <em>new</em>, of course he won’t know his name!</p><p>“...so, Yeonjun...I didn’t know anything of this...protection thing, and I don’t need any...so if that's all, I’ll just be on my way-” He breaks off as the knife returned to his throat, this time accompanied by a painful sting as the blade comes just short of parting skin.</p><p>“I’m not letting you go,” Yeonjun scoffs, face scrunched up tight and as if the statement itself is comical. </p><p>“You- didn’t you say I should stick to populated streets- how are you going to kill me now?” How is he going to get his fee if he kills him!? He’s sure he has all of three dollars and his subway card in his wallet- and he really hates to think that <em>thats </em>how much his life amounts to.</p><p>“Oh? You still haven’t paid your fee. I was jus’ saying that assuming you live…it’s a courtesy, nothing more. Newbies deserve to know as much so they don’t get into the shame shit twice.” The look in the strangers eyes has shifted and suddenly the resolve of a gangster is there. </p><p>“You... You-!” He squeezes his eyes shut at the sound of Moni whining and reminding the both of them he’s still there. </p><p>He’s obviously going to be taken somewhere, to some pre-pubescent gang leader? God he wished he had lied, said he was a part of Hiraeth- anything to get him back home. </p><p>All he wants is to curl up in bed and maybe blackmail Jungkook or Yoongi to bring him fastfood- he didn’t want to be a fucking hostage or something!</p><p>“Come on, scream and I’ll gut you, try to escape and I’ll gut you- as long as you have a brain nothing will happen, okay?” </p><p>Yeonjun sounds almost as if this line has long since been rehearsed for this exact moment and it has him wondering if he would have even gotten out of this mess in the first place if he had paid the fee. </p><p>He doesn’t trust himself to speak, or to so much as nod with a fucking knife pressed to his throat. Instead he stays silent, letting his eyes fall open as Yeonjun takes his free hand and drags him out into the open. </p><p>The grip is loose but all the same it hurts and not even the gloves he’s wearing keep his knuckles from shifting painfully with hairline fractures. He wants to punch the kid, shake his grip at the very least but Moni’s with him and again he really doesn’t want anything to happen to him so he bears the pain with tensing lips.</p><p>As he’s dragged past a number of busy stores his jaw drops open. To say no one sees to notice would be a lie. An unsettling amount of eyes turn their way, and though the knife is no longer visible and it could easily look like his younger brother is dragging him off somewhere, something in their gaze seems to tell him they know otherwise. </p><p>It’s more startling than not, especially when he catches sight of someone occasionally sending Yeonjun a nod. </p><p>Everyone knows of Jimin,<em> Hiraeth</em>, but considering he’s never heard of Yeonjun or Toska he can’t help but be scared. The silent killers that no one knows of are always the worst because it's impossible to know what to suspect, what kind of killer they are and what if any morals they hold true to their heart. </p><p>Now, he can’t help but fear that maybe this isn’t just some small time gang. </p><p>“Yeonjun,” A new voice calls and they come to a stop in front of yet another kid, this one looking even younger than Yeonjun and he almost groans. Maybe they’re actually very convincing preschoolers playing mafia and his life is just one big fucked up joke. </p><p>This kid is wearing a black hoodie with the pale embroidery of roses climbing up the sleeves, and glancing to his side he finds Yeonjun wearing a similar one. </p><p><em> God. </em>He’s apart of their- whatever they are isn’t he-? </p><p>He finds he can barely even be phased. Annoyed, yes, but not phased. This would just make getting away from him harder. Then again, if he could get away from some of Jimin’s right hand men, Jin and Hoseok, he’s sure these kids won’t serve to be too difficult to handle. </p><p>Being friends with Jimin throughout their childhood, the heir to Odium, he had learned to defend himself. Even after him and Jimin had split apart, he had kept up with his training so it wasn’t really so much of a matter of <em>if </em>he could escape.</p><p>That isn’t to say he wants to hurt kids though. He knows all the proper pressure points to render them unconscious, but then again he’s sure he’ll have to at least punch one of them to get the chance now that there are two of them.</p><p>Punching them will certainly put him on their shit list though...</p><p>For a moment he humors asking Jimin for a favor to become in debt to him instead of this smaller clan. Jimin, he can pay off, maybe pitty into forgiving his debt or keeping him on his wanted list as a favor itself. </p><p>“Soobin,” Yeonjun greets the kid with a smile and instantly, Namjoon’s eyes return to the busy street, prepared to find a clear route and book it, only to waver as they pass over Soobin and the gun strapped to his hip. </p><p>He swallows at the sight of it, the only thought going through his mind being that that is <em>very</em> fucking illegal- and that you can’t just carry a gun- let alone so openly! His eyes wander helplessly to a police officer standing by a store a dozen feet away. He’s pointedly staring up at the night sky. </p><p>“Is this...?” Soobin glances between them pointedly. He also looks young. Too young. </p><p>Why did he have to run into a flock of toddlers? </p><p>“Kim- Kim Namjoon, he hasn’t paid his fee yet, was being tough, saying he doesn’t need Hiraeths protection…” Yeonjun waves a hand dismissively though he doesn’t miss how his voice trembles and he’s now avoiding looking at him. </p><p>“So you’re really taking him to…?” The words trail off deliberately and he can tell he isn’t asking who and instead confirming some wordless fear. </p><p>He <em>really </em>doesn’t like to think that these kids are scared of their boss and he wonders if maybe he could ask to use his phone to say his goodbyes or if they’d hear his intent before Jimin picks up to gives these brats hell for breaking his first rule.</p><p>“<em>Yes.</em> Stop looking like that- it’ll be a good thing alright!” Yeonjun’s looks as if he’s about to be told off and he wonders if this chubby-cheeked highschooler is the gang leader.</p><p>“Whats a good thing..?” Namjoon asks. Yeonjun glances away from Soobin who looks as if this isn’t going to be a good thing in the slightest. </p><p>“What are you doing out here anyways, I thought you were supposed to rest for our mission next week...” </p><p>“It’s fine, I was shadowing Dokkaebi...I don’t think boss will be too happy though...he needs to get information out of the target and boss thinks I’m too young to see...<em>that</em>...” Soobin trails off with a whine before his eyes return to his own and he realizes that maybe he shouldn’t be talking about this sort of thing so openly around someone they’re planning on bullying lunch money out of.</p><p>Namjoon doesn’t know who Toska is but unfortunately the same can’t be said for Dokkaebi. While Jimin is notorious in the sense that he makes it a point to have his name known, Dokkaebi doesn’t and yet his crimes speak for himself. Beyond this he’s one of the few people in the underworld that Jimin actually listens too and now he can’t help but stare at the two kids. </p><p>“Ah...right...well you can come with me while I deliver him to boss, it’ll get you back in his good books.”</p><p>Soobin snorts at this as if he thinks it’ll only do the opposite before jerking his head down the street and towards a building. Feeling a hand pushing at his back he decides to move, not quite liking the idea of getting on Dokkaebi’s bad side.</p><p>As they near the building, his pace falters and he freezes, staring through heavy glass doors and into a familiar lobby that has his heart growing still in his chest. Yeonjun doesn't seem happy with him pausing, grabbing at his wrist and dragging him through the doors with an annoyed grumble.</p><p>“He’s in his office?” Yeonjun asks as he’s pulled into an elevator. Soobin nods. As his wrist is let go, Namjoon allows himself to slowly step back and behind them. Neither seem to notice or care, Soobin busy on his phone and Yeonjun staring ahead blindly. </p><p>Idiots. They really are nothing more than kids. He’s almost surprised their gang or whatever it is they are, are in such a building. Maybe they’re being inducted into a group that works in fraud? That would make sense. </p><p>Deciding he doesn’t care, that he’d rather get back home before someone else noticed he’s here he spares a glance down to Moni who's whining at the doors. He doesn’t know what's gotten into him lately and all in all it's probably best he gets him home while he’s favoring gangsters. </p><p>Stepping forward, he braces an arm around Yeonjuns throat, quickly pinching at the crook of his neck and the male drops to the floor. Turning around he finds Soobin has turned his attention up from his phone, his mouth is hanging open and his eyes are wide as he seems to take in what's happened. </p><p>“...holy shit he’s totally going to cry when he wakes-” Soobin doesn’t get the chance to finish the statement before he’s done the same to himself and has guided his body to the ground. </p><p>Glaring down at them, Namjoon tries to shake his frustration as Moni scratches at the door. Crouching, he roots around in Yeonjun’s pocket, finding his knife and his ID, he pockets them, turning to Soobin and quickly pulling the ammo from his gun. </p><p>If it all goes to shit, and he wakes up sooner than he’d like, he’d rather not be gunned down as he tries to leave. </p><p>As the elevator chimes and the doors slide open, Namjoon’s eyes freeze at the sight of shoes in his line of sight. </p><p>Fuck.</p><p>This isn’t good. His hand tightens around the gun on the floor as he slowly pulls his eyes up. He’d removed the bullets, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t threaten whoever this is. As his eyes meet a familiar black and flowered hoodie his frown deepens and his grip tightens. As his eyes meet the males gaze, he finds his heart falling through to his feet. </p><p>“Namjoon…” Jimin starts, voice sickeningly sweet, a stark contrast to the poisonous crook of his lips. “If you don’t put down that gun and slowly stand up, I’m going to waterboard you in your own blood.” </p><p>The gun falls from his grip as the words leave his lips. Not wasting any time, Jimin kicks it aside before his foot meets his stomach with a sharp ache and he collapses to the ground. Jimin doesn’t waste any time, hauling him up by the front of his top, his eyes sting as his back hits the wall.</p><p>Of <em>course</em> it’s Jimin. It’s <em>always </em>him. Who else would Dokkaebi let shadow him than Jimin’s own men!?</p><p>“Jimin- They’re- you’re…!” He can’t think, and as Jimin’s hot breath meets his own he finds it's all he can do to keep himself from shaking on the spot, both of his hands freezing to grab a hold of Jimin’s wrists. </p><p><em>“Shh,</em> stop talking...It’d be such a shame to bloody up that pretty face of yours- but that doesn’t mean I won’t cut your tongue off if you start breathing too loud.” Jimin hisses and Namjoon holds his breath so he won’t say something stupid.</p><p>“Namjoon...tell me, why did you just assault my kids?” Jimin always beats around the bush, hides his questions in half-hearted threats that are weighed down by concerned looks and fleeting smiles he thinks no one notices.<em> This </em>is straight to it and he can’t help but think that maybe Aeipathy has finally gotten sick of seeing him.</p><p>“Your...kids?” He repeats. Jimin doesn’t dignify his question with a response, simply tightening his grip so much that he wonders if Jimins trying to puncture his palm from the strength.</p><p>Hesitantly, his eyes fall down to the boy’s at their feet. No way. They’re young, but not <em>that </em>young. Not even young enough to be half brothers though he doubts Jimin’s dad would have looked into adopting more kids.</p><p>“Yeonjun...Soobin, are not to be touched... so tell me<em> why</em>, did you just knock them out?” Jimin hisses, his words faltering as he struggles to hold his gaze. He can tell Jimin is growing concerned himself, this facade slipping as worry lingers just beneath his pride. </p><p>“I...I was…” He trails off as Jimin’s eyes leave his own, pausing at his own hands. The sudden attention to them makes him want to drop his hold and shove them behind him but it's nothing he hasn’t seen before and it seems to shake the chaebol more than he’d anticipated even with them covered.</p><p>“Tsk,” Jimin promptly drops him, stepping back and sending a fleeting look down to the men below. “Why did they even bring you here?” </p><p>“...Yeonjun stopped me in the alley, he said I had to pay...a...fee…” As he says it he can feel stupidity settling in over him as a dull throb. He hadn’t meant to protect him from Hiraeth, he’d meant to have<em> Hiraeth </em>protect him. Shaking his head he wills his mouth to work. “They were out looking for me.” He continues, pausing at the pained look washing overs Jimin’s face. </p><p>“...I- Follow me,” Jimin sighs, stepping past the bodies and kneeling down to crouch down by Moni. He’s seemed to calm down now, is now perfectly content to wagging his tail and licking at Jimin's face and he can’t help but think that the only reason he’d been so happy around the others was because he’d smelled him on them. </p><p><em> Ugh</em>. He’s really still just a puppy. Jimin must think so too because he easily lifts Moni up into his arms. Namjoon stares at the sight for only a moment before glancing back to Yeonjun and Soobin. </p><p>“They can get up themselves, besides they deserve to piss themselves thinking you got away after I told them specifically to<em> walk the other way</em> if they saw you but <em>noo</em>, of course they just couldn’t help themselves.” Jimin grumbles as he carries Moni away and Namjoon hurries after them. </p><p>Stepping through the door, he finds himself in a large office. As the door clicks shut he snaps his eyes over to Jimin, watching as he tosses a gun down to a coffee table in front of a couch that Moni’s settled for knocking pillows off of.</p><p>“...I’m not paying a protection fee.” Namjoon speaks up, watching as Jimin continues to empty his pockets of an unsettling amount of short blades and ball tipped needle. </p><p>He’s reasonably sure he’s doing so only for his benefit and it has his face twitching with annoyance. </p><p>“-and they’re the ones that brought me here!” He adds for good measures, clearly remembering how Jimin had threatened him at the prospect of seeing him again. </p><p>“Oh I don’t doubt you're too broke to afford my fee’s,” Jimin says, retrieving a cigarette from his box and lighting it. “You know what you can afford?” Jimin breathes in the cigarette, eyes dim as they bare into his own from a foot away. </p><p>Like this, Jimin doesn’t even look as if he’s mocking him, he looks tired more than anything else. Like whatever smart assed remark that's about to leave his lips is only going to be voiced because it <em>has </em>to.</p><p>“What?” He asks, tired of waiting and eager to do whatever it takes to get him back home and in bed. </p><p>“You...can afford to be my whore,” Jimin taps the cigarette in his direction as if to emphasize this. He suppresses the urge to roll his eyes, knowing full well that Jimin will sooner hand over his empire than act on these words. </p><p><em>"No</em>...tell me how much is the protection fee, that kid of yours was fucking around I know it's not that much.” </p><p>Jimin’s eyes narrow curiously. </p><p>“For you...nine hundred thousand won.” He can hear the smirk in his words even though his face hasn’t changed from stony. </p><p>“<em>Okay</em>, so you’ll <em>protect</em> me for nine hundred thousand…” He starts and something in Jimin’s eyes shift. </p><p>It’s small, too small for anyone else to pick up on and he himself is slightly surprised he’d even noticed it after all these years. Hesitantly, Jimin nods and he can tell he’s wondering <em>who </em>he needs protection from to ask of this. </p><p>“...why?” Jimin asks, circling past him and over to where his desk is. Deciding to remain silent, Namjoon follows after him, pausing a foot from his friend. </p><p>“<em>You see</em>...<em>technically</em>,” </p><p>Jimin’s eyes meet his own. </p><p>“For nine hundred thousand won...I can punch that smug look off your face and you can’t kill me.” He finishes and Jimin’s eyes stay heavy on his own. </p><p>Namjoon expects a lot. For Jimin to growl, sneer, threaten or hit him even. Instead, Jimin’s face remains impassive as he seems to process what he’s saying, and once he has, a wide grin breaks past his facade, lips spread wide and eyes crinkling as laughter tears through the silence.</p><p>“<em>Ahaha-</em> Namjoon!” One of Jimin’s hands have found its way to his desk to brace himself. “You really haven’t changed have you?” As Jimin straightens up, his posture casual and a small smile rests on his lips as he stares back at him. </p><p>Just as Namjoon can feel his guard slipping, because Jimin and him are past the expanses of miles that his title has weighed over and separated them. Before he can process the wicked look in his eye, the air is knocked out of him <em>hard</em>, his lungs screaming as pain shoots through him and he doubles over. </p><p>“-<em>Jimin!</em>” The name falls past his lips as one of his hands finds its way into his hair, grip tight as Jimin forces him over the desk.“ <em> Jimin what the fuck!</em>” </p><p>“Don’t <em>threaten </em>me <em>Joonie</em>,” Jimin growls and the hand on his hair draws back only to slam his dead down into the desk before he’s stepped up and out of his space. </p><p>Namjoon really should have taken Soobins gun from him earlier. </p><p>Pushing himself off his desk he glares up at Jimin who sits down on top of it with an unimpressed glare. </p><p>It hadn’t hurt all too much, much less than his hands do right now and he knows if Jimin had really wanted to hurt him he’d hold his hand with a petty little smile. </p><p>Still, he really wants to punch him back but they’re hardly kids anymore and he knows better than anyone else that despite the years, he <em>is </em>below him and he’ll probably end up with broken ribs if he pushes his luck too much.</p><p>“You hire<em> kids</em> now to do your dirty work?” Namjoon asks. Jimin only raises a brow and pulls out his cigarette to huff out a cloud of smoke. He guesses he isn’t so kind anymore. </p><p>“You were a kid when you helped me kill, is it really so different...? Besides they only handle low-risk targets.” </p><p>Namjoon knows Jimin isn’t the type to send anyone out to do things they can’t handle, adult or not, but still he’s left angry. </p><p>“Why were they looking for me if you told them to stay away?” </p><p>Jimin closes his eyes as if the question itself has a headache coming on. Namjoon turns his eyes around the office, not wanting to waste the opportunity. He doesn’t have a bug on him, but if he can find a place to hide one now it’ll make the rest easier. </p><p>His eyes linger on a bookshelf to their right and lined with odd trinkets. There are a few photos lined on one of the shelves so he could probably conceal one in a frame and have a decent view of the rest of the room. He very pointedly ignores one of them that's turned down and looks a little too familiar for his likings.</p><p>“You’re famous, is it really that surprising? They’re nosey and always looking to cause trouble is all.” Jimin doesn’t say if it's because<em> Namjoon’s </em>famous or <em>the plague </em>but it might not make much of a difference. “What <em>I</em> want to know is why you care so much, what really brings you back to Seoul. It’s not like I jump between one place or another for work so why are you?” </p><p>Namjoon doesn’t like how quickly Jimins changed the subject, that he’s prepared a new argument in the short time since they’ve seen each other but he also doesn’t like the idea of having his skull cracked open on the desk again so he doesn’t snap at him for being hypocritical. </p><p>“I wasn’t lying. I renewed my contract with my publisher a few months ago, I’m going to supervise the adaptations and I already have another story in mind.” It’s not completely a lie at least. He has several side projects, none of which he cares to share with Jimin or the public but with enough editing so it won’t surface all of his vulnerabilities to the world it’ll work.</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be happy for me? When we were kids you were a lot more encouraging. Think of it like this, if you still have that box of art under your bed you can sell it now and use that to buy out the competition instead of killing them.” Namjoon knows it isn’t best to mock him, that Jimin is hardly known for his patience but he can't help it. </p><p>Jimin seems to have grown tired of him and its as a hand is brought to his throat does he remember this. </p><p>“You know what I think Joonie? I think you’re here to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.” Jimin hisses and he can practically taste the ash on his breath from how close they are. Namjoon bites down on his tongue to keep himself from jerking back.</p><p>“You should be careful<em> Jiminie.</em> I’m just as famous as you are and if I wind up dead you won’t be able to just sweep this under the rug like everything else.”</p><p>Jimin looks angry, almost as if he’s debating killing him here and now to spite him before his hand tenses with a bruising grip and he lets go.</p><p>“Get out before I give my men the chance to kick your teeth in for the shit you pulled the other night.” </p><p>Namjoon stays still, glaring at him for several long moments before Jimin seems to take the initiative and shoves him back hard. </p><p>It’s such a childish thing to do that for a moment he’s startled and stumbles, just barely managing to catch himself just before he hits the floor. It’s a second later does his anger resurface. </p><p>This is what Jimin <em>wants.</em> He’s trying to piss him off, get him out of Seoul one way or another and that punching him is quite literally what he’s hoping for, to have his resolve solidifying and pushing him out of his life once more and without what he'd come here for.</p><p>Angry, Namjoon manages to grit his teeth and ball his fists before he can lift them, calling out to Moni and stomping out the door. Jimin is Aeipathy, the leader of Hiraeth, he’s used to getting what he wants but he’s not giving him this, let alone without a fight.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Since Jimin likes metaphors and such his signature for his crimes is a crown with a line through it because his dad went by "King" while he was running Odium. Not all too important yet but still something I'd like to point out for future-angst-reasons :'D</p><p>Also more or less relevant (but will definitely be forgotten about by the time it is): </p><p>- Gumiho are nine-tailed demon foxes typically known for eating human hearts and livers. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumiho">More on them can be found here.</a></p><p>- Dokkaebi are goblins/nature deities known for being mischievous. They tend to trick people who are evil and help those who are good. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dokkaebi">More on them can be found here.</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Moira- a persons fate or destiny<br/>Nipan- to become darker</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next time Namjoon ends up running into someone he doesn’t want to see fortunately it's not Jimin. On the other hand it's impossible not to recognize Yeonjun and Soobin this time accompanied by three others and it leaves him both annoyed and wanting to turn the other way and run. </p><p>He doesn’t, only because they’re all blocking the sidewalk and he doesn’t want the two he’s already met to get revenge for knocking them out. </p><p><em> “Hold up- </em> isn’t this-” One of the boys he doesn’t know begins only for Yeonjun to clap a hand over his mouth before he can get the rest out. He looks a little startled but the expression quickly fades to give way to shame. He supposes working with the mafia and being knocked out does that to a person and it has him smug. </p><p>Really he wishes that he had Moni with him to see if retraining him to bite is paying off but he’s hardly hopeful. </p><p>“<em>-Ah-</em>” Yeonjun lets out a startled sound as one of the others elbows him with a pointed look. “Ah- um- Namjoon ssi, I just wanted to apologize for what happened the other day.” As the words leave his mouth Yeonjun bows deeply and Namjoons jaw promptly falls open. </p><p>This is quite possibly one of the last things he’d expected to hear from him, least of all after he’d heard from Taehyung that one of the juniors had looked depressed while on a mission he was overseeing. </p><p>It’s confusing, has his heart unsteady and brows twitching in tune to the rhythm but after a long moment he manages to give an uncertain nod. </p><p>Jimin had probably scolded them for finding him if their conversation was anything to go by, though this doesn’t exactly explain why they’d find him <em>again </em>just to apologize, this time with even <em>more </em>kids to accompany them. </p><p>Turning his eyes past the two and to the three behind him he finds them looking far worse than the others, pale, and from how the tallest of the three is holding onto the other two he’s mildly concerned that he’s going to pass out.</p><p>It’s a thought he doesn’t linger on, simply glancing past them and wondering just how much alcohol he’ll need to forget about whatever it is they’re going to put him through this time. </p><p>“It’s...<em>fine, </em> don’t worry about it.”</p><p>He really hopes they won’t drag him off to see Jimin again. He really hadn’t liked their little reunion all that much last time and he’s sure this is one of the few things Jimin and him feel similarly on. </p><p>“Jimin said I don’t have to pay a fee and don’t think there's anything else he’d need to see me for...” Namjoon finds it in himself to say after several long moments filled by the five kids shooting each other glances that he’ll be lucky if he never comes to know. </p><p><em> “OH- </em> yes. Right- um- we wanted to make it up to you, we can buy you coffee or some- something?” One of the kids who hadn’t even been there speaks up and for a hitman it sure does sound like <em>he’s </em>the one about to piss himself. </p><p>All the same, Namjoons unsure exactly what choice he has. He doubts they’re all too scared of Jimin to defy a direct order in the first place, but then again Namjoon doesn’t like to think that there are other things out there to be scared of that are any worse than Jimin. </p><p>Maybe Dokkaebi, and remembering that he’s the one who had been mentoring Soobin and Yeonjun has him shifting his weight off his heels. He also really doesn’t want to end up on his bad side and he’s not all too sure if rejecting this offer will put him there. </p><p>With a breath he drops his eyes back down to the kids, all of which seem to be holding their breath and with a hesitant nod they immediately deflate on the spot before he’s dragged into a small coffee shop. </p><p>He really doesn’t like the idea of this, is already regretting it and wishing he’d said something about Jimin telling them to leave him alone but then again these are <em> kids. </em></p><p>Kids who don’t seem to have the same confidence they did a few days ago and so he’s hopeful that maybe he can get some information out of them while they’re not on the top of their game.</p><p>“So...hows work...? Was Jimin very mad at you guys...?” It’s probably better to test the waters before asking anything outright. Like <em> how do you guys feel about going against direct orders? Anything that will make you do it again? Say...finding out why Jimin would want to kill my mom and then telling me? </em></p><p>He’s also not positive but he’s reasonably sure that whatever it is they want from him isn’t on any order either. </p><p><em> “Ugh- </em> he said I couldn’t go out into the field for a <em> week! </em> It’s not even a punishment- well at least one that makes sense! He’s my boss, shouldn’t he be having me do <em> more </em> work?” Yeonjun groans, not seeming to find anything wrong with the question though Namjoon can’t help but think this is suspicious. </p><p>He’s already gathered that his name is commonplace amongst Jimin's men. <em> Well</em>, at least it won’t take much for anyone to figure out just who the <em>plague </em>is after a little while, and so he can’t help but question why Yeonjuns so completely unbothered with talking to him. </p><p>Sure he must know from Jimin by now that he’s not a threat, at least to him, but surely Jimins taught his men that anyone <em>asking about their fucking job- </em> should be little less than concerning, if not completely suspicious.</p><p>Don’t get him wrong, it’s also suspicious <em>talking to someone you’ve been told to cross the street by Park fucking Jimin if you see, </em> so it's not like he faults himself, but if this is something he sees as <em>his </em>chance, he can’t help but wonder why these five feel the same way. </p><p>“You deserve worse and you know it. I’m surprised boss didn’t make you talk to that reporter and <em> give your condolences </em> for the investors that died last week.” </p><p>Yeonjun flinches at this and vaguely Namjoon can remember seeing three of them during press conferences throughout the years and whenever Hiraeth is <em>coincidentally </em>involved in killing off one of Park Enterprises competitors. </p><p><em> Oh. </em> No, he’s pretty sure that two of these kids are <em> Beomgyu </em>and <em> Hueningkai</em>. <em> Interns </em>that started working under Jimin a few years ago though he’s not sure who the other one is. </p><p><em> “God please don’t remind me- </em> he said if I pulled this shit again he’d have me read Park Enterprises statement <em>before </em>the public is told someone was killed. <em> Beomgyu I’ll look so fucking stupid and then I’ll have to give another statement on how we’re just 'getting ahead of this’-</em>” </p><p>Namjoon tunes the rest out as the others chime in to bicker. </p><p>Technically all of them have just, quote, <em> pulled this shit again </em>and he can’t help but wonder if the next time he turns on the news if he’ll see the five toddlers being hounded by reporters. Yeonjun will probably be the one to give the statement since he’s the most outspoken and yet he can’t help but doubt that he’s the leader of their subunit. </p><p>At first glance he’d assumed he is, he’ll nudge the others and scold them as an elder brother would but then again he’s far from sure. Jimin had most definitely been the one to train these kids and he <em>knows </em>him, all of his secrets and the ins and outs to just about every plan he could possibly come up with before they’re executed just because he knows how he thinks.</p><p>Jimin would want him to think that Yeonjuns in charge, and while he might be, Namjoons even more sure that this is also what Yeonjun wants him to think from how he’s the only one who hasn’t been scolded by anyone else.</p><p>Jimin knows all about how things look to the outside, and how to manipulate this to their benefit. In this business deception is everything and as a fox, Jimin is truly the best at pulling it off. </p><p>When they were kids Jimin would always tell him that as his right hand man he <em>can’t </em>look the part. That if someone ever is to suspect his true identity, that he’s the one working behind the scenes, then if he looks like he’s hardly a threat they’ll have an easier time getting out of any sticky situations. </p><p>He doesn’t doubt that everyone working under Jimin is capable of leading their unit, that they’re equal in strength mentally and physically, and that it's just a matter of figuring out which one is the best at concealing their real nature. </p><p>The only person Yeonjun hasn’t elbowed or started arguing with is Soobin, and though he’s kept to himself for the most part, upon closer inspection he realizes that Soobin is paying just as much attention as he is, analyzing whatever it is they’re saying and gauging their body language just the same as he is, all while he fiddles with his drink with his head turned down. </p><p>He looks like he’s not paying attention. That if anything he’s a friend from school they roped into joining the mob and now he’s left to babysit them while they clean up the other days mess. </p><p>If anything this feels exactly the same as when he’d suspected that Yeonjun might be the leader and that this too, Soobin timid demeanor, is exactly what Jimin wants him to see. </p><p>Namjoons not an idiot. After that night he hadn’t been able to get much sleep and so he’d spent the night researching Hiraeths hierarchy. there's some he’s already known since Odium was in power and just after it's downfall. </p><p>Jimin only ever listens to Dokkaebi and occasionally <em> Yeongno, </em> though he knows even less about him than the former. That the others he trusts and considers to be his right hand men are Yoongi, Jungkook and Taehyung who he’s known since they were kids, and then Seokjin and Hoseok who will probably gut him if they can get their hands on him anytime soon. </p><p>Well, maybe not. Yoongi had said that work was more interesting now that a civilian had escaped from two of Korea's most renowned hitman, and that they didn’t have any hard feelings about what had happened, but still he can’t help but be weary. </p><p>Under Jimin's right hand men are factions set up to carry out smaller tasks. there's a division for hits, counterfeit documents, weapons, and debts. </p><p>The only one he’s cared to look into is hits seeing as Jimin works closely with this division and apart of this subunit is <em> Moira</em>. They're the only hitman who carry out their kills as a group asides from when Jimin and his right hand men handle something.</p><p>Anything on the internet that he could find on the group wasn’t all too helpful. They keep their faces covered when they take someone out but three of them work in close combat situations while the other two, <em> Ace</em>, and <em> Nipan </em>he only knows of thanks to Jungkook, and specialize in <em>premeditative precautions</em>.</p><p>If he had to guess he’d say that all things considered, Soobin is Ace though this too might just be what Jimin wants him to think. </p><p>He’d seen Soobin with a gun on him just the other night and so it would make sense if he also took people out via sniping or something similar. </p><p>He’s not sure who Nipan is but he doubts he’s the leader anyways. Jimin wouldn’t sign off on just any alias and Ace certainly sticks out like a sore thumb. </p><p>“...<em>Ace</em>,” Namjoon starts. The kids are still bickering though their words fall short at the name. “It’s lacking. I couldn’t figure out why <em> Aeipathy </em> would approve of something so meaningless.” Namjoon pauses, holding Soobin’s gaze for a moment. “So it must be that you’re the <em> Kings </em> ace, right?” </p><p>Soobin looks a little confused, eyes hesitant to stray from his own and over to the others to confirm if they know what he means. </p><p>It’s a good act, genuine in the sense that an inkling of doubt has already crept up past his mind though it's shattered the moment Beomgyu chokes, blowing his cover as he looks around the room frantically. </p><p><em> “Wait- </em> this means I won! You owe me twenty two thousand won!” Hueningkai hits the person next to him, the only one he doesn’t know the name of and who doesn’t look as startled as the rest of them. He’s probably Nipan, it would make sense why he’s rarely at press conferences like Soobin. </p><p><em> “...no.</em>” Soobin says after a moment, eyes turned down and looking like he’s somewhere caught between embarrassment and bitterness. “It’s uh...-”</p><p>Namjoon doesn’t catch the rest of it but Yeonjun must have because he snorts loudly into his drink. Wearily he glances over to him. </p><p>“It’s a <em> pun.</em>” </p><p>Namjoon stares, glancing between the two of them before he finds the door. He never should have come here-</p><p>“I go by <em> Ace </em>because I’m...<em>ace.</em>” The admission comes soft, too soft for anyone else to hear though the assassin looks as if he’s just told all of Korea that someone on their most wanted list, name is a <em> joke</em>. A fucking <em> pun</em>. “Jimin thought it was funny.” </p><p>Namjoon presses his palms to his eyes and until his visions dancing with spots. </p><p><em> It’s not funny</em>. </p><p>It’s not funny. </p><p><em> Fuck</em>. He can just imagine Jimin agreeing to the name and <em>not </em>to fuck with the concerning amount of people online who theorize on the meaning behind it- <em> but because it's a fucking pun- </em></p><p>His head meets the table with a dull thud. </p><p><em> “Why- </em> why are we here Ace...?” He knows three others don’t have to tag along for any apology, let alone when they’re not just here because they don’t have anything to do.</p><p>“How did you figure it out?” Soobin asks though it's unnecessary. </p><p>He must have figured out that he knew before he said it since he’d been analyzing him too. At the very least he should know that since his and Jimin's history is all but public, that he’s just as capable as any of them are and at worst has a one in five shot getting it right. </p><p><em> Well</em>, one in four if he considers that Yeonjun had already revealed his identity and it's only narrowed down from there considering Dokkaebi is selective in who he works with.</p><p>It’s probably not best to say any of this, that since they don’t know why he’s here he should remain unassuming, at the very least so they can’t gauge any more about him. </p><p>“Killers are good at pretending they’re nice.” Probably not the best thing to say to a literal <em>killer </em>or someone who might just know how hypocritical it is of him, but it's the easiest comment to shrug off without making himself out to be worse. </p><p>Plus they’ve already established that he <em>is </em>a killer and death ages people so he’s sure hearing this is nothing he can’t handle. </p><p>At the very least he must be aware of the fact that killer or not, running into him like this and pretending they don’t have any alternative motives is hardly nice.</p><p>Soobin doesn’t seem to take this the wrong way, only shrugging with a look towards the others. </p><p>“Yeonjun and Taehyun drew the short straw and had to go find you but <em>someone </em>never showed up. They were hoping that between you and Jimin things would go differently after you stabbed Hoseok ssi.” <em> So he never did have a choice about being dragged off to see Jimin. </em></p><p>He hopes Jimin hasn’t changed his mind about having them read a statement. Beomgyu was right, they <em>do </em>deserve worse. </p><p>“Wait he didn’t stab Hoseok- I heard he put a gun to Jins head and made everyone disarm before getting away.” </p><p>“I heard he punched Jimin in the face and Hoseok was too busy laughing to stop him.” </p><p>“I heard Seokjin was going to shoot him for punching Hoseok but let him go because Jimin gave him a signal, but he didn’t actually want to admit it ‘cause he’s prideful like that.” </p><p>....</p><p>He really hopes Hiraeth has to release a statement soon. </p><p>Well, at the very least he’s sure that last rumor will piss Jimin off. </p><p>“Okay- that's not the point- what I want to know is why is Jimin your <em>former </em>best friend- what happened! Why should he even give a fuck over you if you were in the same class like a decade ago?” Taehyun seems to have gotten tired of waiting for the others to spit it out and hearing this Namjoon wishes he hadn’t spoken at all. </p><p>“Don’t worry you’re not alone, I’d like to know too.” He grumbles bitterly before he swallows hard, regretting that he’s voiced this and that now they might suspect that he’s after answers too. it's not something he wants to talk about, let alone have a heart to heart with <em>children </em>about so he’s careful to keep his expression guarded.</p><p>“-is there anything else?” Namjoon wearily looks between the kids. They must know he doesn’t have any intentions of talking about what's happened between him and Jimin and so he can’t think of any other reason they’d continue this little game either. “If you need an adult to escort you back to school I guess I can do it.” Namjoon says with a sly smile and only because he’s <em>very </em>petty thank you very much.</p><p>Yeonjun says something about them not being little kids meanwhile Beomgyu glances around before leaning forward, only to be stopped by Taehyun pushing him back down into his seat with a scared look. </p><p><em> “Beomgyu don’t-.</em>” Taehyun hisses, shaking his head ever so slightly. Beomgyu must know exactly what he’s not saying because his eyes widen and he pointedly jerks his head towards where he’s sitting. </p><p>Contrasting this, Namjoon glances over at Soobin watching as he seems to assess the situation before his lips turn up and he shoots Hueningkai an encouraging look. </p><p>Namjoon has this brief <em>oh no </em>feeling just as Hueningkai breaks out into a grin before he’s stood up with both of his hands pressed flat to the table and a determined look. </p><p>“Is it true that you’re <em> that </em> Kim Namjoon!?” <em> “Is Metanoia really finished!?” </em> Beomgyu manages to remove the hand from his mouth and he hears two audible <em>slaps </em>as Yeonjun and Taehyun cover their own faces. </p><p>Well at least it's cleared up in which way <em>they couldn’t help themselves </em>now.</p><p><em> “Shit- </em> No- cause there's not that many <em> Kim Namjoons </em>and you’re an artist right-? I heard Jungkook ssi say it once and you wear gloves. that's so you don’t smudge your art when you draw isn’t it?” </p><p>By some miracle Namjoon doesn’t flinch, let himself truly hear what was asked to the point that he’d be forced to acknowledge what was said, or shove his hands beneath himself, though he’s sure the latter is only in thanks to muscle memory from how it’ll only hurt if he does that. </p><p>After a long moment he shrugs with a short nod and kind smile because though he’d originally wanted to deny all of this and <em>leave</em>, he’d much rather admit to this lesser evil especially if this all gets back to Jimin.</p><p><em> No</em>. Knowing him he probably sent the kids after him just to ask that question to get back at him for last time.</p><p>“The name is <em> Metanoia- </em> so it's meant to be satirical right!? Ji-han couldn’t convince Min-jae that even if they’re sick and <em>dying </em>he shouldn’t convert people into demons,- or is <em>that </em>the point? That <em> Ji</em>-<em>han’s </em> opinion changed and he was never going to be able to change Min-jae’s mind?” </p><p><em> “-uhhh...” </em> Namjoon forces himself to zone back in. <em> Damnit</em>. This is why he only does pre-scripted interviews. “I’m working on something else right now but if I do end up writing a second part I’d be spoiling it.” It’s an answer he’s given before but still Namjoon cringes inwardly at how uncertain it comes out though the two don’t seem to notice. </p><p>Really he just hasn’t given it too much thought recently since he’s kind of busy overseeing the adaptation and trying to figure out the whole <em> Jimin Thing</em>.</p><p>That isn’t to be said that he’s as hesitant now. It would be good to have allies on the inside, and though he has Yoongi, Jungkook, and Taehyung, Jimin knows about the first two and he doesn’t want to jeopardize their friendship over any of this. </p><p>Seeing as they’ve already gone against one of Jimin's direct orders twice, he can’t help but think that Moira wouldn’t be all too hard to convince to help him out from time to time. </p><p>Not that he’d tell them what he’s <em>really </em>up to, he’s pretty sure even if the only reason they were so eager to find him again was to confirm <em>that </em>identity, it still wouldn’t be smart to openly admit to wanting to kill their boss.</p><p>That being said if they think they’re giving him <em>mafia-y </em>advice because it would help with the accuracy of a project...</p><p>“-Is it okay to ask what you’re working on-?” Beomgyu asks and Namjoon just barely refrains from smirking. </p><p>Shrugging, Namjoon takes a sip from his drink so he doesn’t look too eager. </p><p>“It’s rough, I don’t know if it's one I’ll even publish...but it's about an assassin working towards killing a king and his assistants.” </p><p>Neither of them seem to catch on and again Namjoon is proud. It’s enough that it wouldn’t too suspicious to ask them about the more hushed inner workings of their job and finding out stuff on Jimin will easily follow suit. </p><p>Then again he should probably stick to one lie if Jimin ever finds out he’s not writing about a vigilante. He’s reasonably sure the whole <em>killing someone with a shit ton of power </em>theme will stick out like a sore thumb.</p><p><em> “Does the king die-? </em> Does he figure out what the assassin is planning? You had a similar angle in Metonia so after some of the assistants die they’ll get suspicious- <em> wait what kind of rating is this gonna be because the gore in Meanonia was pretty bad and if it’s like a revenge thing then it’ll probably be sold behind the counter-</em>” Hueningkai trails off only to let out a loud yelp as both Yeonjun and Taehyun slap him.</p><p>“You morons <em> WE’RE </em> the assistants!”</p><p>The two of them pause, blinking slowly. </p><p>“Jimin hates the term King, I think he actually prefers <em> Chaebol.</em>” Soobin chimes in though he looks a bit pained. </p><p>“Oh wait a minute that's a little petty isn’t it...” Yeonjun mumbles and Namjoon snorts. He doesn’t even know the half of it. </p><p><em> “Ah</em>...well it’s just a story so you don’t need to worry.” Namjoons smile feels forced even to himself though thankfully no one looks all too concerned. “It’s getting late and all <em>so...</em>” Namjoon stands up grabbing his drink before the kids can ask anything else he doesn’t want to answer. </p><p>He’s reasonably satisfied with how things have gone today. He’s laid the foundation for gaining their trust and possible allies and so there's little reason to stay and play nice with them then further suspicions.</p><p>This time they don’t object, only following him out the door, though he does notice Taehyun lingering towards the back. </p><p><em> “Oh</em>, why are you going that way?” Beomgyu tilts his head to the other side of the intersection that Taehyun’s crossed over to. </p><p>“I left a bug on a computer at the library I need to retrieve.” </p><p>The others don’t seem to think anything of this, shrugging, though Yeonjun looks a little grim for whatever reason. </p><p>“Sorry again for last week Namjoon ssi.” Soobin bows and without elbowing the others they follow suit. Nodding, Namjoon continues down towards his apartment, very much aware of the fact that Taehyun is still with him. </p><p>“Do you really need to go to the library?” Namjoon can’t help himself and so after a beat he glances to his side. </p><p>Taehyun has his hands shoved into his pockets and is watching the sidewalk. He doesn’t show any signs that he’s been caught in a lie, or that he’s surprised but then again Namjoon had thought that it was pretty damn obvious. </p><p>Jimin would never have someone research a target at a <em> library </em>let alone somewhere with public wifi. Even when they were kids and he’d help him with a hit they’d just go to an internet cafe seeing as they didn’t have to register their identities.</p><p>After a while Taehyun shrugs, turning to the right and down into an alley. It’s a bad idea. Namjoon <em>really </em>doesn’t like alleys considering he always ends up leaving them with someones blood on him and he’s not exactly in a fighting mood. </p><p>With a breath Namjoon joins him, leaning against a wall and wondering what he could possibly want him to hear just not in front of his friends.</p><p>“What...? If you ask me for an autograph I’m telling Jimin even if it means getting my teeth kicked in.” </p><p>Taehyun doesn’t look amused, is watching him with a contemplative look and if he didn’t know better he’d say he were angry. </p><p>“You should know I got in trouble the other day.” The kid says slowly, like he’s unsure of speaking himself but it needs to be said. </p><p>Namjoon only laughs. </p><p><em> Yeah</em>. that's what happens when you defy a direct order. </p><p>Actually, no, <em> worse </em>happens, he should just be grateful that <em>an eye for an eye </em>doesn’t really apply tangibly in this case when he hadn’t shown up. He supposes this must be his one saving grace in Jimin sending him to the reporters. </p><p>“...I feel like in this case you <em>shouldn’t </em>be talking to me. Jimin keeps track of his men, he’s probably gonna end up hearing about this.” Namjoon means it to be obvious, if anything a warning because this is a kid and though he thinks Jimin won’t be <em>too </em>pissed so long as he’s not dragged into this, he isn’t quite sure. </p><p>Taehyun looks as if he knows this better than anyone and it's as a dark look flickers past his eyes does he frown. </p><p>“I didn’t get in trouble for that...and I’m not Yeonjun, I’m not going to poke a fox with a stick when I’ve already been bitten.” </p><p><em> True </em>he supposes. Taehyun does seem a little more rational, deliberate in what he does in a similar way to Soobin though the other had been easier to read. </p><p>“I meant...I was going to kill you tonight.” Taehyun says, he’s not looking at him, instead he’s staring somewhere over his shoulder. </p><p>Namjoon knows reasonably he should be horrified. That Taehyun had probably gone to the library to research <em>him</em>, but instead <em> Taehyun </em>sounds scared. Traumatized in the way his voice is stretched thin and he looks like he’s been left to confess his sins to the reaper himself.</p><p>“I decided to take up the solo mission because <em> I’m </em>not the <em>kings ace</em>. I don’t know much about you or pay attention to rumors so I can detach myself from the situation.” </p><p>Namjoon waits, wondering if he’s going to tell him that for Yeonjun, Hueningkai or Beomgyu’s sake he didn’t do it, that he should be grateful, or maybe warn him that there are others like himself out there without these reserves.</p><p>“...so why didn’t you?” Namjoon asks after nearly a minute passes by all the while Taehyun remains silent. </p><p>He can think of several reasons why Taehyun isn’t going through with it, none of which matter much to him, though he also can’t help but wished that he’d tried. </p><p>Namjoon isn’t suicidal, but if he’s attacked first he isn’t going to go down easily like he had last week and he thinks beating up this kid would again do a lot more than Jimin’s shitty warnings of public embarrassment. </p><p>He wonders if Taehyun thinks he’d be able to kill him, if he hadn’t done that much digging into him in the first place and he thinks that <em>he’s </em>the one with the upper hand.</p><p>“I don’t have a reason.” Taehyun isn’t looking at him, instead he’s turned his head off to the side but it hardly conceals how his face is scrunched up with a look of frustration. “Hiraeth doesn’t kill people just because we don’t like them or for a payday, they have to do something immoral.” </p><p>This isn’t what he’d expected, and again he’s doubting that Taehyun looked very deep into his background. He knows for sure Hiraeth has a file on him, at least from Odium’s glory days and Jimin wouldn’t just throw it out. </p><p>He doesn’t think he deserves to die, nor does he want to, but he also hasn’t fooled himself into believing that to others, killing him wouldn’t be justified. His own reasonings are biased and even if he was a kid when he’d had a hand in putting someone in an early grave, he’d been aware of what he was doing. </p><p>He doesn’t want to die, or to end up on Hiraeth’s hit list but if someone ever did put a bounty on his head he wouldn’t feel justified disputing it either.</p><p>“...this isn’t the same for others.” Taehyun finally speaks again and again he’s wondering what the point of this is. </p><p>If he’d wanted him dead a few days ago, even if he’s not going to pull the trigger for his friends sake, he still shouldn’t sympathize so much as to warn him.</p><p>“You were the one who asked why me and Jimin aren’t friends anymore...so you already know that I’m not going to be killed by just anyone, and since I’m not in the mafia either there's not many I have to worry about.” Namjoon says, shrugging dismissively because he doesn’t need someone nearly half his age wagging his finger at him for not batting an eye at the creatures lurking in the dark. </p><p><em> “Tsk. </em> You should just know that there are a lot of people who want to keep the king safe, his citizens, and the rest of the monarchy. Throughout history you never hear of many that have been killed and there's a reason for this. They have absolute power, they’ll crush insurrections before they can breed so of course there are people who will want to keep Jimin safe and they’ll kill you even if this means upsetting him.” </p><p>Namjoon already knows this. Of course there will be a few devoted to Jimins cause so much that they’d risk their life for him, even if this means giving theirs up to eliminate a threat he can’t. </p><p>But this is why Jimins right hand men are people with their own free will, Jimin doesn’t want a suicide bomber and it’s what keeps Jimin and his friends equals while he employs them. </p><p>It’s why Jimin’s never said anything about him and the others remaining friends after things had soured, simply since it's impossible to trust people who blindly try to keep you happy. </p><p>Namjoons prepared to tell Taehyun that he shouldn’t worry if this is even what this is. That anyone who might want him dead in Jimins ranks is at the bottom of the food chain and that it’s only a matter of time before they’re deposed of for one thing or another, before he can however, Taehyun’s pushed himself off of the wall and a hand comes to rest on his shoulder. </p><p>“...all I’m saying, that the longer you’re here, the more people will want you dead. So don’t do anything stupid.” Taehyuns hand leaves his shoulder and by the time he lifts his gaze up and past the alley he finds he’s gone. </p><p> </p><p>Taehyun had just gotten back from a mission when he’d first heard it. He’s not particularly nosey, out of Moira he’s probably the worst of their group as far as hitmen go because if anything he’s supposed to keep ears on rumors at all times just in case they become tangible. </p><p>Nonetheless he’s hardly Nipan for no reason and though you really have to seek out rumors to hear them in the first place, it’s hardly difficult finding the tail ends of them when you live in the shadows and they’ve grown to be comforting.</p><p>He hadn’t meant to get into Jimins business. there's a lot of rumors about him, most of them being unsettling, and serving only to further his reputation and insight fear. So for the most part he’s learned to tune them out, only occasionally humming along to the newer ones someone will laugh about over lunch or a snack break.</p><p>Really he doesn’t care about the rumors. Jimin’s <em> Jimin</em>. If there's something truly detrimental being said about him then he probably already knows and if not then it's entirely unconcerning since it hasn’t peaked the mans interests. </p><p>At the very least, Jimin can handle himself. His reputation isn’t for nothing and so even hearing that someone wants him dead hadn’t phased him all too much. </p><p>Well, that was at least until he’d decided to listen to these shadows on a bored whim and only because they seemed a little odd as far as they come. </p><p>Someone wanting Jimin dead is hardly unique, and yet hearing that it’s not some grieving relative, someone he’d left half dead, or screwed over in one way or another is surprising. </p><p>So is coming to find that this <em>civilian </em>used to know him, and is still regularly in contact with Yoongi, Jungkook, and Taehyung ssi though the latter <em>is </em>concerning. </p><p><em> Aeipathy </em>doesn’t talk and so it had been difficult to find out how legitimate the rumors were but private <em>meetings </em>between Jimin's right hand men and occasionally Dokkaebi are an entirely different thing. </p><p>None of them are superior and so the honesty had been more vocal than ever, and even if nothing was said outright, it quickly became clear that ever since one Kim Namjoon returned to Seoul his threats have already taken their toll, even if others don’t appear to have caught on just yet. </p><p>Seeing as he’s had yet to act on them, and they’re <em>just </em>threats as of now, he doesn’t like to think what could become of Hiraeth, what could become of <em> Jimin </em>if Kim Namjoon actually follows through. </p><p>At worse Hiraeth and Aeipathy will join it's successor and it’s hardly something he’s just going to sit back and entertain. </p><p>Jimin might not be willing to kill him, and that's fine, Jimin’s done enough already, this is the least he can do for him, and if he does it right then he won’t come to know he’s dead, let alone who’s killed him. </p><p>He’s confident in his abilities even if he doubts this would be different if he weren’t simply going to shoot him. In a real fight, he’s sure he’d die and yet this is even more reason he has to be dealt with. </p><p>Everythings just about in place and the only thing left to do besides the job itself is stake out which location gives him optimal coverage from on lookers without obstructing his view of the window. </p><p>
  <em> “-Taehyun!” </em>
</p><p>Taehyun’s snapped out of his trail of thoughts, blinking fast as he turns his attention to Yeonjun. He’s smiling again which is good to see though he doubts it’ll remain for long if this gets out. </p><p>“You’re not still sulking...?” Taehyun asks, raising a brow and a choked sound leaves the elder as he shoves him. </p><p><em> “NO-! </em> And even if I were you’d sulk too if you thought someone you liked hates you!” </p><p>Taehyun is reasonably sure that Namjoon had killed off his favorite character and he’d wanted him dead for a while too though he doesn’t say this, only smiling pleasantly and tilting his head to silently ask again, what has him so happy. </p><p><em> “Ah- </em> well Yoongi ssi said he wasn’t mad from what he could tell, but just to be safe Soobin came up with the idea of apologizing to him!” </p><p>It sounds like a terrible idea and his smile crumples momentarily betraying this thought and leaving Yeonjun glaring. </p><p>
  <em> “It’s a good idea brat-!” </em>
</p><p>It’s not. It’s <em>really not </em>but he doubts Yeonjun can pin down his location again since he won’t be helping him out this time around so he’s not too worried. </p><p>“Sure hyung.” </p><p>Yeonjun doesn’t seem to believe him but luckily he doesn’t seem to be in a bickering mood, only nodding towards the bag over his shoulder curiously. </p><p>“Where are you going? Jimin grounded you too even if you didn’t pull your weight.” Yeonjun’s back to glaring and this time he can’t help but laugh. </p><p>He’d planned on tagging along originally don’t get him wrong, it would have been a good opportunity to question Namjoon and gauge his abilities but after a while he’d decided against it. </p><p>Namjoon probably has his reasons for wanting Jimin dead, reasons he might sympathize with and he’s an <em>assassin</em>. He can’t have his resolve swayed if he’s expected to get a job done, expects to protect someone he cares deeply for when they’ve never wavered when it’s come to keeping him safe. </p><p>“I wanted to go check out what the <em> Seung </em> family is up to, since Jimin suspects they’re going to start shipping weapons, I figured getting something concrete would put me on his good side again.” </p><p><em> “Hah...? </em> Jimin’s never <em>that </em>mad, come on if he were he wouldn’t have brought us Japchae today. Family recipe man, we’re his kids, you can’t ever truly be upset with family.” </p><p>There are <em>several </em>things wrong with this statement. Jimin is <em>literally </em>known for killing his dad and if anyone brings up his own parents Yeonjun will personally torture them just for speaking of their names. </p><p>“Hey Yeonjun, Taehyun,” Jungkook interrupts them before Taehyun can point out Yeonjun’s hypocrisy. He’s with Seokjin and they look tense. </p><p>“Seokjin, Jungkook ssi,” Taehyun bows shortly and the elder lifts up a hand. </p><p><em> “Hyung</em>.” Jungkook spares Yeonjun a glance before turning back to him. “Jimin wants to see you Taehyun-ah, says it’s important.” </p><p>Taehyung startles, blinking before glancing between the two in case they’ll tell him what's up. They don’t, instead only jerking their head and starting off towards the elevator. </p><p>“...uhh...I’ll see you later hyung.” Taehyun hurries to catch up with the others, a little concerned. </p><p><em> Jimin needs to see you</em>, and <em>important </em>are never good things to hear, especially when he’s singled out. </p><p>Well, he supposes Soobin is grounded for his role in the fiasco a couple of days ago, that if anything he’d tell him about any upcoming mission if there's anything they need to gather intel on. Still he’d had hoped that <em>important </em>would lift the others suspension. </p><p>Well, then again it might not even be that important, with Jimin it could mean anything from <em>oh yeah just so you know someone planted a bomb in the building and we don’t know when it detonates, </em> to saying since one of them is going to sneak out to do god knows what, they can pick him up some ice cream on the way back. </p><p>Still, seeing as Jungkook and Seokjin ssi haven’t left his side he can’t help but fear it's a bit more serious than this. </p><p>“Have you done anything to piss him off lately...?” Jungkook is the first to speak, leaning against the wall of the elevator and Taehyun can’t help but swallow. </p><p>He didn’t seriously think that he’d need to get back in Jimin’s good books...he really hopes he hasn’t found out about Yeonjun’s plan and he’s going to get in trouble for it. </p><p>After a moment Taehyun manages to grimace. Jungkook looks a bit grim, and seeing as he still has his hair tied back and vest on, he doesn’t like to think that Jungkook hyung whos just gotten back from killing someone is weary. </p><p>“...there was the other day but I ditched Soobin and Yeonjun.” He <em>really </em>hopes Jimin doesn’t know about Yeonjun’s plan but knowing him he probably does. Knowing Jimin he probably noticed he wasn’t near tears from being knocked out by someone he idolizes anymore and put two and two together.</p><p><em> “Hm...</em>well nonetheless Hoseokie and I will be in the lounge for a bit if you need to talk to someone...” Seokjin says, his arms are folded over his chest as he says this and he hesitates to nod as he catches Jungkook sending the eldest a curious look. </p><p>“...hyung said Yoongi and Taehyung could fill me in...so I don’t really know if I’d be able to console you but the same goes I guess.” Jungkook finally says, still staring at Seokjin as if doing so will make him cave and tell him what's going on. </p><p>It’s concerning really. Though he never seeks out rumors he’s usually the first to hear them so knowing that it’s something the hyungs have found out before him, and that it concerns <em>him </em>is starling to say the least. </p><p>He might have underestimated just how much Jimin dislikes Namjoon and his warning of sending them to the piranhas the next time he has someone killed if they do this again. </p><p>“Right...thanks.” Taehyun says, watching as Jin stays staring at Jungkook, the two seeming to have some kind of silent conversation and it's only as the elevator dings and the doors open and he steps out and moves down the hall and towards Jimin’s office. </p><p>Knocking on the door, it's a few moments before Jimin answers telling him to come in. </p><p>“Jimin ssi,” Taehyun spares him a bow, shutting the door before moving over to stand in front of his desk. “what's wrong...?” He <em>really </em>hopes he doesn’t know about Yeonjun’s plan. God forbid he thinks <em>he </em>gave him the idea. </p><p>Jimin is sitting with his hands clasped over the desktop, with an indifferent look on his face. Normally he’s never intimidating. He’s kind and even when he’s scolding one of them he never resorts to the bloodier threats he’ll make good on others, instead it’s easy to be casual with Jimin even when he’s fucked up or defied a direct order. </p><p><em> Normally it's </em>easy and yet now he can’t help but think that calling him <em>hyung </em>would damn him to hell especially when he can’t read the look on his face.</p><p>He doesn’t have any weapons out either, which though he’s never known him to bring one out on one of them, knows is commonplace for others, he also can’t help but feel that there being <em>no weapons </em>in sight that he’s miscellaneously discarded of, to be equally unsettling as is his composure. </p><p>“I think knowing you we might be here a while.” Jimin glances towards one of the chairs and after a hesitant moment he takes a seat. </p><p>Jimin doesn’t sound mad, doesn’t <em>look </em>mad, and yet somehow for the first time since meeting him he can’t help but be scared and not in the sense that he’s gone against direct order, but that he’s attempted to take his life. </p><p>It has his hands fisting themselves at his side and his breath uneven as he waits for Jimin to tell him why he’s here, instead for the first time far too scared to speak out of turn.</p><p>“Tell me, do you know what the criteria for accepting a job is...?” Jimin asks after a long moment, he’s no longer staring at his hands anymore, this time his eyes have come up to meet his own and though he can’t sense any animosity somehow he gets that Jimin’s simmering on the edge of killing someone. </p><p>He can’t think of anything he’s done that would piss him off so much and so this must be Jimin seeing if he can kill someone formerly out of his league. After he’s managed to still his heart, he nods. </p><p>“If they’ve done something immoral a commission is considered. If it’s safe and what the customer wants done is reasonable, then pay is next and the job is executed.” </p><p>Taehyun is again a little caught up on why he was called in here and not one of the others. </p><p>Soobin and Yeonjun he supposes are too kind to handle things that are gray, Jimin tried to give them a job once to kill a sex trafficker but they couldn’t stomach realizing that they were <em>just </em>there to kill him, that they couldn’t go after the other predators in the chain just yet and that they also couldn’t rescue anyone, that this would be dealt with by others that might fuck up or be less concerned with their lives. </p><p>He thinks since they’re not here it must be something similar, and that the others can be explained by them being too young when Jimin’s still hesitant to have them kill anyone less than serial. </p><p>Beomgyu could probably handle this though. At least they’d be able to stomach something similar and it would be safer to have them both take someone on if it's a mission this serious.</p><p>“What are the exceptions to this?” Jimin asks and Taehyuns confused, can’t help but question why Jimin would want to double check this if it's supposed to be a heavier job. </p><p>“If...it's justified. So killing someone in self defense or being told to do something or you’ll die.” Taehyun hesitates. <em> This </em>isn’t necessarily immoral, at least by Jimin’s definition. An <em>eye for an eye </em>also feels a little too subjective.</p><p>Jimin doesn’t seem to care much about his answer, nothing registers in his expression and instead he tilts his head to the side. Vaguely, he’s beginning to question if Jimin is trying to decide if he can handle a mission and he can’t help but think back to his hyungs words and wonder if he’s pissed him off somehow. </p><p>The fear returns, this time in ten folds as Jimin lazily glances behind him and to the door. </p><p>“What are my first two rules.” </p><p>“...don’t touch what belongs to me’, and minors get special treatment.” More accurately, on a case by case basis, regardless of if they’re told to kill someone, one becomes a threat, and what not. </p><p>It’s odd for Jimin to ask for the first <em>two </em>and not just the first one. Otherwise he’d think that anything could apply. </p><p>Jimin’s <em> Aeipathy</em>. Korea is his, and the same can be said for anything and anyone here. For him to ask about the second one means that this rule must apply more than the first. </p><p>Jimin nods after a moment and his eyes return to his own. He still looks upset and this time he catches his composure slipping. </p><p>It’s rare for Jimin to kill anyone under eighteen, and though he will, he’s not like Dokaebi or Yeongno in the sense that he’s completely against it, he’s still uncomfortable with the thought of taking a kids life regardless of what they’ve done. </p><p>He doesn’t want to think what someone could have done to upset him this much where he won’t even consider an ultimatum. </p><p>Jimin’s good, likes to see the best in others too and his heart is entirely the reason he offers to rehabilitate people who kill when they’re young, that so long as they show they won’t repeat their mistakes they can continue living. </p><p>It’s not easy by any means. He’s <em> Aeipathy</em>, he’ll show them death, the worth of a life and exactly what it means to take one. Even if they don’t work under him as a contract killer until they’re eighteen, they’ll still have a chip placed in them in case they go back on their promise and try to kill someone underserving. </p><p>Jimin makes every excuse not to kill kids and yet he’s slowly finding himself convinced that Jimin wishes one were dead. </p><p>“Have you heard of Dokkaebi’s first rule?” </p><p>“He doesn’t have rules.” He has morals, he won’t kill kids and he’s far more sympathetic than Jimin for all that people fear him. </p><p>Rules are different, Jimin wants to protect his city and the people he cares about and so this explains the absoluteness to his first ‘rule’ but the same can’t be said for Dokkaebi. He doesn’t know much about him but he doesn’t let the job consume him so much and he doesn’t set aside his principles for it either. </p><p><em> “No. </em> He does. Do you remember the <em> Shibuya </em>incident a few years back?” </p><p>Taehyun can only swallow hard, pressing his lips together and nodding once. Dokkaebi had killed five people for supposedly conspiring to kill his partner <em> Yeongno </em>and had forced <em> KBS </em> to air a threat to anyone who thought to hurt the people he cares about. </p><p>“Something about family...?” It’s his best guess. Jimin accepts it with a shrug. </p><p>“He’s told me ‘family isn’t by blood’ actually...he has his own mafia of sorts, at least that's how I think of it even if they only work in contracted killings.” Jimin motions with his hand as if to say that <em>mafia’s </em>naturally value family and so they’ll kill over it without reserve. </p><p>“So...Dokkaebi’s rule cancels out yours..?” </p><p>Jimin smiles for the first time tonight, eyes scrunching up into crescents with his lips thinning out and dimpling his cheeks. He looks proud and though normally he’d feel happy, that since Jimin speaks in the most abstract ways that it's impossible to pin down what he means, this is a rare occurrence, he can’t help but feel that he’s missing something. </p><p>Somehow he can only dread Jimin opening his mouth again because his smile feels colder than it had been moments ago. Because now it seems he’s grown tired of leaving him guessing just why they’re here and that Seokjin wouldn’t offer to comfort him for just no reason. </p><p>Somehow he can’t help but remember that Jimin’s first two rules apply to him and that not only this, but that <em>he’s </em>a minor. </p><p>“You should know,” Jimin starts conversationally. He’s not smiling anymore and instead every irrational fear from years ago has resurfaced and he questions ever stepping foot in the foxes den because it's never once ended well in fables. “I won’t have a chip implanted in you for six weeks.” </p><p>“...wh-what-...?” Taehyun swallows at the threat. Jimins angry at him. <em> Pissed </em>and if he didn’t know better he’d say that Dokkaebi is too. </p><p>Jimin doesn’t say anything only tapping a finger to one of the frames turned face down on his desk. He knows which one it is without even looking, just who would be in something Jimin wouldn’t want to see and yet would be so strongly against throwing out. </p><p>Even so he gets that this is even more damning than knowing who’s in it, the implications of what Jimin must <em>know </em>when he’d snuck in here not a week ago to snoop and had looked for himself. </p><p>He’s sure he’d left it face down like Jimin always does. </p><p>He’s sure- </p><p>
  <em> No- </em>
</p><p>NO- there’s no way he knows <em>that. </em> Gathered from knowing he looked at a god damn <em>photo </em>that he’s planning to kill Kim Namjoon-!</p><p>“Taehyung was messing with it that day, he didn’t turn it over after he left and neither did I.” Jimin smiles humorlessly and Taehyun can’t feel his heart beating. </p><p>Reasonably he knows it is. Reasonably he can hear it beating, much louder than it should, far faster than is healthy and yet he can only remain unsure he’s even breathing in the first place. </p><p>“HE- he- <em>I...</em>” He doesn’t understand. He wants Jimin dead. He has the means to do it- <em> he will do it-! </em> Is he a moron!? Does he think that he won’t go through with it for whatever reason!? He understands that Jimins warning him, <em> but this is justified! </em></p><p>“He wants you <em>dead! </em> He’s going to kill you! This is reason enough!”</p><p>Jimin doesn’t look phased at him yelling, throwing every single <em> fuck </em> out the window because he doesn’t understand and he’s <em>pissed. </em></p><p>“Reason enough to what...? <em> Kill someone I’ve explicitly told you not to fucking look at?” </em>Jimin hisses, raising a brow and Taehyun can only bite down on the inside of his cheek so he doesn’t punch him. </p><p>He knows what he’s been planning. He knows and he thinks that this is breaking his first rule, that he doesn’t care if it means breaking his second because he won’t excuse him a third time. </p><p>“You’ll kill me for- for <em>this-? </em> For killing someone who would be on your list if you hadn’t fucking known him as a kid- did <em>what? </em> Kiss him whenever he was sad because you were a stupid five year-” Taehyun stops talking as Jimin pulls a gun out, hands trembling on his desk in front of him as he becomes aware of the fact that he’s stood up. </p><p>“Who said <em> I’ll </em> kill you?” Jimin’s voice is low, dangerously soft though he can’t ignore the way it trembles with anger. “This is a <em> warning </em>because I’m a good <em> Chaebol </em>who cares about the people he’s taken under his wing. If you’re lucky Seokjinnie or Hoseokie will slit your throat. If you’re unlucky Yoongi, Jungkook or Taehyung will do the honors and I can’t say it’ll be all too painless when you throw up when you shadow them on the job.” Jimin pauses, adjusting his grip around the gun and Taehyun can’t look away. </p><p>“Depending on how you <em> might </em> go against Hiraeth, you’ll be praying you’re never reincarnated so you never have to suffer that much again.” He’s not sure who Jimin’s implying will do the honors of killing him for this. </p><p>Taehyun knows he’s not <em>threatening </em>him necessarily. That Jimin doesn’t make threats he acts on anything he might do and <em>then </em>if those people live they can pass along the horrors of what they went through. </p><p>Jimin is warning him what will happen to him if he tries to go through with this, not necessarily by his own hand, just so he’s aware before he digs his own grave. </p><p>He knows Jimin recognizes why he wants to do this otherwise he’d already be dead and yet he can’t get past that this is <em>wrong</em>. That this isn’t right- that since these are all people that want Jimin safe, likewise they should understand that by letting Namjoon live- someone he must <em>hate</em>, he’s jeopardizing his own life!</p><p>That if no one will step in and kill him he will because Namjoons as determined as he is. </p><p><em> Yeah </em>it might be difficult. That it’ll absolutely fucking suck since he’s read this persons works, that it's going to be an ache he can’t stomach easily but he can do it better than the others so he <em>has </em>too!</p><p>If he doesn’t do this Jimin <em>will </em>die, that eventually these people that love and care about Jimin will understand what's at stake even if they hate him for it in the beginning!</p><p>“...what will happen if you get to me-?” Taehyun forces himself to ask. He doesn’t want to die, to sacrifice himself to save Jimin but he won’t <em>kill </em>him. Jimins killed people who work for him for much less and he’ll do so again. It’s like Yeonjun’s said, if he still gives him food then he doesn’t hate him. </p><p>“Then you can find out first hand why everyone curses me as a gumiho <em> before </em> you step out of this office.” Jimin doesn’t smile as he says it.</p><p>Taehyun knows he’s serious. He knows he’s not bluffing and yet the rumors make his stomach churn. That Jimin’s seriously implying that he’ll have his heart forced down his throat for <em>this</em>.</p><p>
  <em> ...why-? </em>
</p><p>It doesn’t make any fucking sense. </p><p>Taehyuns head drops down to his hands and he tries not to cry. </p><p>
  <em> It doesn’t make any fucking sense! </em>
</p><p>Taehyun stares at his shoes until they blur over. </p><p>He’s a moron-! He’d rather <em>die </em>than have someone else do his dirty work-!? Isn’t that the whole point of being a mafia boss!? He can’t- he can’t- he can’t do it. </p><p>Jimin is one of the few people he gives a damn over. Jimin <em>knows </em>this. It’s the entire fucking reason he’ll kill for him- shoulder this burden in the first place!- <em> and now he can’t even fucking do it?! </em></p><p>He has to be suicidal. <em> He has to fucking be suicidal!! </em></p><p><em> “You- you’ll d-die!” </em> Taehyun claps a hand over his mouth at the realization that he’s crying, squeezing his eyes shut and curling down so that his forehead meets his knees. </p><p>He’s going to <em>die</em>. </p><p>“I could die any day. I’m <em> Aeipathy</em>. I’ve killed hundreds, ordered the deaths of thousands. If you’re so sure I’ll die I’d at least like to die at the hands of someone I choose.” </p><p><em> No. No</em>. that's not it. that's not even it- <em> Jimin sounds more sure he’ll die than he does and that's the fucking problem! </em></p><p><em> “Fine...</em>” He hears something slide across the desk. “If you’re so sure take the opportunity away from him.” Taehyun breaths in deeply, until his lungs are burning and vision is clearing. Sparing a glance up he’s unsurprised to find the gun a few inches in front of him. Jimin looks unbothered. </p><p><em> “Like father like son right? </em>Just put a bullet through my skull Taehyun ah I more than deserve it.” </p><p>Taehyuns not going to kill him and Jimin knows it. </p><p>“...I won't do it.” Taehyun grits his teeth as he finishes the statement. Jimin doesn’t look happy but he doesn’t expect him to either. </p><p>“Why is that?” Jimin asks. </p><p><em> “Pfft- ahahaha- </em> why-...? <em> Why?! </em> I thought you liked me because I don’t spread rumors- <em> should I just tell everyone then when you can’t even say it yourself-?!” </em></p><p>Jimin’s insane, it’s something that’s been said since he first rose to power and it’s probably worn off on him by now since he doesn’t care. </p><p><em> He doesn’t fucking care</em>. </p><p>Jimin’s never cared either, if he speaks out of turn, if he watches his tone or even shows an inkling of respect for him. It’s at the very least clear in how he hasn’t been shot but he’s sure it's even more true if he’s going to die anyways.</p><p>“I just wanted to make sure you knew.” Jimin says, he doesn’t comment on the outburst and in turn he doesn’t tell the man to his face that it wouldn’t make a difference. That Jimin’s a moron- suicidal- and every other insult someones called him over the years.</p><p>“I know you mean well...if it's any easier to handle just think of it as you’re not allowed to take one of my kills.” </p><p>Taehyun holds his gaze for a while. He can’t kill Namjoon and he knows it but he wishes he could. It’s not about <em>taking a kill </em>it’s about <em>preventing </em>one.</p><p>“I...I know. I’m sorry.” Taehyun stands up, bowing once after Jimin nods. Once he reaches the door he pauses just as his vision blurs over once more. “For your sake- I really hope you’re actually against <em> others </em> killing him.” </p><p>It’s only once he’s sure Jimin doesn’t have anything to say to this does he leave, shutting the door with a loud <em>snap </em>and turning his eyes down the hallway only for them to find the others lingering by the door. </p><p>He’s hardly surprised. <em> They’re </em>the ones that like to eavesdrop, <em> they’re </em>the ones that never get in trouble for it and any other time it would be wholly ironic. </p><p>“He’s not mad. Jimin doesn’t get mad.” Yeonjun says once they’ve gotten far enough from the door and he wishes he’d shut up. It’s harsh and instantly he’s left regretting the thought. </p><p>He’s been planning to kill someone he idolizes and he’s <em>met </em>him so it’d be even stupider to assume that it would be a trama he could easily recover from. He knows he should apologize to them, but again he can’t find the strength to.</p><p>“...I mean it could have gone worse, Jimin killed his dad so you could always do-...” Soobin trails off as if realizing what he’s said but this doesn’t save Beomgyu from elbowing him as they walk into the elevator. </p><p>“It’s fine.” Taehyun says, he’s already talked about this for longer than he could ever wish for, he doesn’t need a second round. </p><p>“Namjoon ssi isn’t that bad...” Hueningkai starts and Taehyun glares back at him. He’s <em>biased</em>. <em> “Seriously...</em>he’s the same as Yoongi, Jungkook, and Taehyung.” </p><p>He knows that Hueningkai likely means this, that because he’s listened in on conversations out of necessity and not boredom from a young age he knows something concrete, maybe even why Namjoon wants him dead or why Jimin deserves it but neither of these are things he wants to hear. </p><p>Hueningkai must know what he’s thinking because he grimaces, a hand coming up to squeeze at his shoulder.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not really a Jimin pov but hopefully this'll give you more or less an idea about how Jimin and others feel about joon and his intentions. I don't think Jimin *really* would have killed Taehyun if he went through with it/ broke any of his rules..him and the others are like his kids but I do think some of the other mafias Jimin's allied himself with would have been inclined to take revenge on his behalf.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s the last friday of the season and Namjoon finds himself at the playground and much like any other day with Jimin at his side. They’re both too old for this, for sitting on top of the monkeybars when even the six-year-olds these days seem to prefer staying indoors than enjoying one of the few days before the heat of summer makes itself known, and yet they’ve fallen out of routine and have decided not to return to one of their usual hangouts. </p><p>It’s not like there's any use in telling Jimin that this is unseemly, not just because they’re too old but that the name he’s building for himself is sure to crumble if any of his dads competition sees them at the park. Then again Jimin is stubborn like this, as a mafia heir and teen and he knows better than to tease him when he’s already in such a foul mood. </p><p>He’d like to think that this is because of the counterfeits dealer he’d killed the other day, or maybe because his dads taken an interest in one of the smaller organizations south of<em> Jeonjun </em>and for more <em>going out to get coffee </em>and not <em>putting a bullet through their skull </em>reasons, but he knows this isn’t so.</p><p>“-...doesn’t even listen to his own advice-...<em>another mafia-!” </em>Jimin's been grumbling on about it all day, brooding like any other teenager when confronted with the idea of his dad seeing someone new, with his chin in hand as he glares down at the ground below them. </p><p>“He seems nice.” Namjoon says and it earns him an annoyed look. “He likes you too so it's not like having another dad will be a bad thing.” Jimin has a look on his face that says <em>yes</em>, yes it <em>will,</em> and he finds he can only roll his eyes an amused noise presses at his lips.</p><p>“What do I even need <em>three </em>for? One is good enough.” </p><p>He knows this really isn’t what has Jimin upset but even if it's the last day to address it he seems as stubborn as ever and resolved to bicker on this lesser evil. Truth be told he’s reasonably sure Jimin doesn’t care much especially since he’d idolized the guy for single-handedly wiping out any gangs in his territory. He also doubts it has much to do with his family tree getting any larger than it already is. </p><p>“It’s <em>two</em> you’ve never even met your biological parents and most stable households have two adults.” </p><p><em> “Excuse me-? </em>No- <em>no</em>, say that again with a straight face!” Jimin shoves him and Namjoon can feel his amusement slipping. </p><p>“I said<em> most</em>.” Maybe this <em>isn’t </em>what Jimin wants to talk about instead of the elephant in the room and it has him curious as he watches the scowl return this time with more fury behind it. “...do you ever wonder who they are?” Even if he doesn’t want to talk about it, its something he can’t help but question, and he’s known Jimin long enough to know that he doesn’t care that much and that even if he did, he’d know that he hadn’t meant it in a bad way. </p><p><em> “...No,</em>” Jimin is back to staring at the ground though he doesn’t miss the concerned look he sends him. It’s odd, not very surprising given that Jimin's <em>Jimin</em>, and his dad isn’t all that bad, but even so Namjoon’s wondered about his own father and he’s far more present in his life than Jimin's biological parents. </p><p>“You’re not curious...? Even a little bit?” </p><p>Jimin turns his head to look at him properly, lips turned down and eyes narrowed. </p><p>“You wonder if your dad would let you stay with him?” Jimin asks and he can only shake his head. That's not what he was getting at, far from it since that would mean leaving Jimin for good since his dad is never in one place for too long cause of work. </p><p>“No, I’ll just stay with you, your dad won’t care.” </p><p>Jimin shrugs like he doesn't want to admit that he’s right before straightening up and placing his hands on the bars behind him.</p><p>“I don’t really care...I’ve<em> thought </em>about it I mean, but <em>family </em>is just a label for the ones who take care of you and love you, it doesn’t have to be your parents.” Jimin spares him a pointed glance that has his heart unsteady as he averts his eyes. He doesn’t have to question if Jimin’s talking about himself or not and he really hates that between them these things are so obvious. </p><p>“Blood doesn’t mean anything that's why it’s easy to spill.” Jimin continues and Namjoon can only frown. It’s something he’s heard his dad say before and now he can’t help but question how much he knows or if he’d meant it as an offer and not to comfort him. </p><p>It’s not like it matters much, Jimin's dad probably does know since Jimin hardly cares about secrets, but whether he cares enough to think it's out of the ordinary is another thing. </p><p>He’s cool and all, don’t get him wrong, but he’s still a mafia boss and a murder at that. Even if he likes him, he can’t mistake him to be a good person, even if he’s better than most, at least in his eyes. </p><p>“What is that supposed to mean...?” Namjoon eventually finds it in himself to ask. Jimin only shrugs like it's nothing, turning his eyes up to the sky. </p><p>“Something dad brought up...he won’t do it though don’t worry.” Jimin looks almost as if his dad won’t do it, but with the right prompting Jimin might. </p><p><em> “Don’t</em>...” Namjoon sighs, pressing his hands to either side of him and gripping the bars. He can’t feel them but from how Jimin's palms are red he imagines they’re hot. </p><p>“I won’t don’t worry, I just thought you of all people should remember it.” Jimin doesn’t look at him as he says it and he finds himself grimacing as he debates pushing him down to the woodchips. </p><p>He’s not upset per se and he knows he doesn’t mean to mock him or anything, as they’ve aged Jimins only gotten blunter, growing into his role and he’s one of the few who's been spared from his changing heart. </p><p>Still, he wishes he’d at least not talk about this kind of thing when nothing can come of it. </p><p>“...you don’t know what you’re getting at, besides I’ll be in Ilsan for a few weeks so it’s not like anythings changing for the worst.” </p><p>Jimin doesn’t blink as he says it, doesn’t look as if he’s really heard him but he can tell from how his lips press together that he’s trying not to frown. </p><p>It’s not something he wants to talk about, they’ve been together almost every day for years now and even then this is still going to be hard on himself just as much as it will be on Jimin. </p><p>He wants to go to Ilsan, it’s something he’s been looking forward to for a month now seeing as he’ll be alone and gets to visit his aunts. Jimin knows this, how ready he is to get the fuck out of Seoul since his mom has some <em>business opportunity</em>, and it’s probably the sole reason Jimin’s been trying not to show just how much he’s going to miss him. </p><p>It’s sweet, both that he’s going to miss him and that he’s trying not to let this show. </p><p>Joking about this hasn’t helped much either even if he’s unsure just how much of a joke it really is. </p><p>His mom has been going on about this for a while now, has been trying to set it up for months and though he doesn’t know anything about it, she seems to think that this will go smoothly and she’ll make millions. Jimin doesn’t think that it's very funny, that maybe his mom will become a <em>chaebol </em>and they’ll end up as rivals and so he’s also a little bitter with this.</p><p>“While you’re gone I think Yoongi’s planning something...” Jimin begins. He knows he doesn’t want to admit to any of this and so he lets him change the subject, only raising a brow and sending him a curious look. </p><p>“He wants your dad to train him for fieldwork?” </p><p><em> “Mmhm</em>, Jungkook and Taehyungie too. Dad says it'll just be a bad idea if all of us end up on a mission one day. That we’ll mess with whoever we’re killing before we do it to quote <em>cause problems on purpose</em>.” The corners of his mouth twitch up as he says it and he gets the distinct feeling that <em>yes </em>yes they will. </p><p>Still he doubts any <em>no </em>will be all too effective since Jimin snuck Taehyung into a meeting last week since he wanted to see if other mafias were like normal people or if Jimin just sucks at being mean.</p><p>“That's a good thing, if you cause problems on purpose while I’m away it’ll make me look like a good influence.” </p><p>Jimin eyes him like he’s a horrible influence and it's as he’s about to open his mouth and tell him this does his phone chime. Jimin glances down to his backpack beneath them, lips still parted but he doesn’t speak. </p><p>“Moms probably wanting me home early, the train leaves at four am.” Namjoon tells him, pushing himself off the monkeybars and falling into a crouch as he lands on the ground. Jimin follows suit. </p><p>“I still need to ask dad but I’ll walk with you.” Jimin says and he nods as he shoulders his bag and follows him to the sidewalk. </p><p>“He won’t be happy if he says no and you still come.” When he says he should cause problems on purpose, he’s thinking more along the lines of replacing sugar with salt in the break room or calling King <em>dad </em>in front of someone he wants to impress, not sneaking out at the asscrack of dawn. </p><p>“Even if he says no he’ll already know I’m gonna do it. It’s tradition, he’s just gonna say no cause a normal dad would but he’ll still leave out energy bars on the counter for me to bring you.” Jimin says it with a wave of his hand and it's so oddly specific that he feels like he did this when he snuck out to see Yoongi hyung when he had an early flight to Daegu. </p><p>He doesn’t say this but Jimin must be able to sense his amusement because his hand finds his own and he gives it a squeeze as they approach his block. </p><p>“I’ll come get you since you’re on the way to the station.” Namjoon tells Jimin as he comes to a stop, staring off past him and at his home. He looks worried and now he can’t help but think that none of this must have been what's on Jimins mind and instead something else. It’s concerning, something he hardly understands but he doubts it’s anything he’ll be inclined to talk about at four am either.</p><p>“...Mhm.” Jimin doesn’t seem to really be listening so he worms his hand out from his own and nudges him. “-right. See ya Joonie.” Jimin smiles tight, like he knows he’s thinking about butting into his business before pressing his lips to his own briefly. </p><p>It’s routine, something he’s done thousands of times, and yet as they part and Jimin heads off in the opposite direction, he can’t help but feel that it's not going to happen again for quite a while, and not just because he’ll be in Ilsan.</p><p> </p><p>In the long run Namjoon would rather play things safe than sorry and this usually means waiting for the right time even if he feels it will never come. That being said it's been years and so it's hard to say he isn’t impatient and so this leads him to Yoongi, one of his longest and most sympathetic friends. He’s one of the few people he’s not uncomfortable relying on and when it comes to something so particular he’d been one of the only options. </p><p>Well, truth be told he’d had others. <em>Several </em>others and a fully fleshed-out plan to boot on how he could safely convince Beomgyu to help him under the guise of wanting his story to be more accurate, and all without the bastard fox smelling something was off. </p><p>It had been a pretty solid plan too but at the end of the day even if he is a killer, he’s also above all still a kid and he doesn’t want to drag him into this mess. It’s already a misfortune he’s had to know Jimin and so he’d decided that Yoongi already knew the bad parts about him and so there's hardly anything to fear burdening him with. </p><p>He’d also figured that while the kids were more likely to ask questions, figure out more than he’d like them knowing, Yoongi already knows everything, wants to know what he doesn’t and so more or less he’d happily agreed to help out. </p><p>It’s only <em>more or less, </em>because now, leaning against the closed door to one of the conference rooms he’d been told to meet him in, he looks all but certain and he’s once again reminded that Jimin is going to be pissed if he ever finds out about this. </p><p>He’s reasonably sure they’re safe, that Yoongi would otherwise never suggest this and at minimum Jimin rents out this floor to some of the companies under him and has no reason to so much as glance at it. </p><p>Still, he can’t help but share his friends concerns as he worries his bottom lip between his teeth and adjusts his grip on the folder in hand. </p><p>“...does it even matter what's in here?” Yoongi asks it like he’ll say <em>no</em>, that he’ll make risking snitches under him ratting him out to the reaper for nothing but to change his mind after eight fucking years of paranoid curiosity eating the both of them alive. </p><p>“It’s my <em>mom</em>. I never even got to identify the body.” Namjoons voice is soft, words careful as he balls his fists from where they are in his pockets. He’s not scared of anyone hearing them, doesn’t particularly care one way or another if someone does, because even if they piece two and two together and think to tell Jimin, he imagines they’ll be too scared of being shot in place overhearing this. </p><p>He’s not scared, honestly, and yet he knows if he tries to take the folder himself he’ll end up dropping it and even through his gloves he’ll leave the paper wrinkled with sweat. Yoongi knows this and so he has yet to offer it out to him, though this is probably just because he’s also morbidly curious. </p><p>“Her <em>ID</em> was at the scene you didn’t need to identify anything. Plus your aunts weren’t just going to let a kid see their dead mother like that.” He says <em>like that </em>as if he’s taken a peek at the crime scene report already and can tell just how bad it is. If it really was a car accident or if that and the whole <em>Jimin wanting jack shit to do with him </em>after it stood for more.</p><p>They both suspect more seeing as Jimin put his dad six feet under and yet he also hopes he’s right as shitty as it sounds. He hasn’t told Yoongi this yet, though he imagines it’ll be pretty hard to keep whatever reaction he’s bound to have from him when he’s right here to share it. </p><p>Taehyung knows, feels just the same and also hopes that Jimin had something to do with this, though he thinks it's for an entirely different reason, and more along the lines of not wanting Jimin to really be as terrible as Aeipathy’s famed to be for abandoning his best friend after losing his mother and without any reason.</p><p>Yoongi’s probably right, that what's in it <em>doesn’t </em>matter but he’d like some closure either way.</p><p>“Just open it already.” </p><p>After a moment Yoongi does, flipping through several pages until he reaches one that's been dog-eared.</p><p>“It’s been sealed so some of the information has been redacted. When I got this from the coroner they said this was from the second autopsy after they determined the first one had some...<em>irregularities.</em>” Yoongi sounds as if he wants to know what was in the first one but Namjoon thinks he’s only this paranoid because of the job. </p><p>In Ilsan most accidents are gone over multiple times just to make sure that the same conclusion can be reached. Besides, Jimin doesn’t care to cover up his crimes <em>that </em>much, least of all when he was still a kid and didn’t have the reputation to pay anyone off. </p><p><em> “The findings of this report are that the deceased and sole casualty Kim Gyeong passed away due to a motor vehicular accident. By the time first responders arrived at the scene rigor had already set in and they found that the airbag had not been deployed, most likely causing the victim to sustain several severe fractures and abrasions, including a broken neck which resulted in death.” </em>Yoongi stops, glancing up at him and he can only grimace. </p><p>It sounds like any average car accident report, unsuspicious and exactly as he’d expect as it matched with what the police had told him when they first broke the news to him. </p><p>It’s closure and it’s not. </p><p>“There are pictures that were taken at the scene if you want to see them.”</p><p>
  <em> ...does he...? </em>
</p><p>He supposes he should want to. It would definitely help him accept things if he could see for himself that <em>no</em>, there isn’t Jimin’s signature crown with a line through it carved into her skull, and he also doubts it’ll be all too scaring even if it should be. </p><p>He’s seen his fair share of corpses before, everyone from relatives who have passed away due to natural causes or byproducts of Odium and Hiraeth’s rein. </p><p>He’s not scared of any nightmares that will come of this and so after a moment he nods, holding out a hand and taking a handful of pages passed over to him. The pictures are also, as expected, as are the multitude of purpled bruises and blood.</p><p>It’s not a sight that shakes him and so after confirming that <em>no</em>, there is no crown, he flips the page. </p><p>“I know it’s terrible to say this ‘cause she still died either way, but it’s a good thing that it was just an accident.” Yoongi has shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugging and looking like he’s relieved. “Besides, Jiminie would never have done something like this...at least then that is. He’s too kind for his own good, still gets all grumpy like he did when we were kids if you tell him off...” Yoongi looks found as he says it, nodding to himself and for a moment he can find it in himself to set aside his animosities with a nod that falls short just as he turns the page. </p><p>It takes less than a minute to process what he’s seeing, what exactly it means but not nearly as long for Yoongi’s words to fall short as he notices his silence. </p><p>He knows from how the inside of his cheek is stinging with how he’s biting at it that his expression hasn’t given anything away, and yet he must look just as grim, as Yoongi steps closer to look down at the papers. </p><p>“He did it.” Namjoon says, voice steady and trying to shrug but somewhere along the way he has to swallow it down, passing the papers back over if only so he doesn’t have to see them anymore. </p><p>He’d rather Jimin had just told him he’d done it. He’d <em>really </em>have preferred it if Jimin had just come on out and said he’d killed his mother and made it look like an accident so he’d never have to see the report. </p><p>He didn’t want to know <em>this. </em>Any of that- and yet now he does and it’ll be a miracle if no one else finds out. </p><p><em> Yoongi’s here</em>. Had agreed to help him out, get his mothers autopsy report just so he’d know himself. He doubts from how weary he is, from how he’s sending concerned glances between himself and the photo, that this is because of what he’s already suspected, been prepared to accept, has been confirmed. </p><p>“...why do you say that..?” Yoongi sounds almost as if he regrets asking it as much as he does but it doesn’t keep him from wincing as he tastes his own blood. Yoongi looks back down to the photo as if it’ll tell him what he’s figured out. </p><p><em> “Photographs 6A and 6B show severe breakages in the metacarpal-phalange on either of the deceased hands...most likely from being crushed by the front driver-side door...</em>” Yoongi doesn’t sound as if he’s caught on and he’s not sure it's something he wants to explain. </p><p><em> Severe breakages </em>is putting it lightly. The knuckles are bloodied, purple beneath the surface of the skin and he can see how the shattered bones come just shy of cutting through it. Her hands have been mutilated and it’s so sickening to see again that it has him lightheaded and pressing a hand to his mouth.</p><p>Yoongi’s a <em>hitman</em>. He should know this kind of thing, be able to spot something this obvious and yet he hasn’t. </p><p>“...you think he staged it?” </p><p><em> No</em>. He’s positive he did, though looking at the accident he wouldn’t be able to say what's off about it. </p><p>“He killed her.” Namjoon opens his mouth to say once he’s sure he won’t throw up.</p><p>Yoongi doesn’t question his certainty, doesn’t say anything for the longest time only shuffling the pages back into their folder before folding it shut at his side. </p><p>“...then I guess the next step for you is finding out why...?” Yoongi asks, but Namjoon just shakes his head. </p><p>“It’s- fine, I just wanted closure is all.” Namjoon makes himself smile and his chest aches as he forces himself to take in a deep breath. “It was all I wanted to find out, thank you hyung.” </p><p>Yoongi looks confused, like he wants nothing more to question him but also hardly wants to know what he does and so after a beat he nods. </p><p>“Uh...huh...I’ll talk to you after work then...I’ll hold onto this so just let me know if you need it again or anything.” Yoongi says it like he might change his mind about <em>wanting to know why </em>and gives a hesitant wave with the folder.</p><p>Swallowing down a grimace, Namjoon ducks out the door before his luck gets the best of him or Yoongi changes his mind about letting him keep this to himself. </p><p>The report isn’t something he’ll ever be needing, not to be more certain of if Jimin had anything to do with what had happened or why he’d even decide to kill his mom. </p><p>At the very least now he knows why Jimin had had the report sealed in the first place when just that photo had made those two so obvious. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i was wanting to update this sooner but i got distracted with some scenes a few chapters from now and trying to make sense of my notes. i'll put something like 'hehe CRACK' for the next chapter and expect myself to know what this means at three am. do you know what this means?? are you excited? i'm excited- since i wrote about 30k since the last update i'm hoping to get that chapter out sometime this week but we'll see</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tw// mentioned childabuse</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It's the day after spring break has ended when Jimin finds Joon with his head down on his desk and sitting on his hands. He feels bad for it, but it's a familiar sight and he’s not surprised, nor does he feel anything one way or the other as he approaches him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hyung</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Jimin nudges him in lue of a greeting as he sits down. He stirs ever so slightly, turning his head so that he can glare at him and Jimin nudges him once more, this time a bit harder. “I told you to call me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows there's no use in lecturing him that he hadn’t called and so being upset about it won’t change this, but still he’d been hoping that he’d listen to him. He doesn’t of course, because he’s stupid, would rather ignore him then let him worry or tell his dad when those would be better options than this but again Joon is </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span> so there's no helping him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mom took my phone.” It’s an obvious lie. Or maybe it isn’t if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> messed up but it’s an excuse none the less and he doesn’t want to hear it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you do this time?” Jimin sighs, turning his head down and ruffling through his bag until he finds a small bottle and places it on his desk. Namjoon doesn’t reply immediately, only moving his hands out from under him for the first time today to unscrew the lid before swallowing two of the pills. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally Joon doesn’t like using them at all, will only take one if anything even though his dad never lets him take any of the grown-up painkillers to school, but today he doesn’t seem to care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’d you do?” Jimin doesn’t look away from his hands as they’re brought down to his lap. It looks like it hurts, his knuckles are red bordering on purple and for a moment he questions if someone else will notice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mouthed off.” Namjoon shrugs like it’s obvious and after a moment Jimin forces himself to slip the bottle back into his bag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s not sure what Joon means by </span>
  <em>
    <span>mouthed off</span>
  </em>
  <span> but this has been the result of doing so too many times for him to be anything but annoyed. He knows Joon doesn’t want to talk about it much, especially since this happens so often but still he’s annoyed and wants to know at the very least what they were arguing about or </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> it had happened, because really at this point he can only be confused and paranoid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opens his mouth to ask what he mouthed off for but before he can the door clicks shut and he closes his mouth before the teacher can get onto them for talking during class. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, she probably won’t get on to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> so much but he doesn’t want Joon to get a call home and for something else to happen so he doesn’t ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jimin decided not to ask about what had happened last week. It's not the first time he’s seen him bruised, nor will it be the last if he’s going to be his right-hand man or continue to join him during jujutsu classes, but still it gnaws at the back of his mind persistently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually Joon will just shrug off what happens, ignore all efforts to talk about it because it isn’t a big deal and Jimin will let him because it doesn’t last. His fingers will return to a normal color after a little while and if he doesn’t want to talk about it it's probably because it’ll put him in a bad mood reliving it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally Jimin would ignore it, comment on it when the splotchy patches of red return every few days so Joon will know that he’s paying attention but otherwise forget about it because he knows he can’t do anything about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today he finds this difficult seeing as the bruising is worse and not in the way it’ll turn a sickly yellow and blue before healing. Instead his knuckles are bloodshot and just past them the skin has become discolored with hints of purple. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it hurt?” Jimin knows it’s a stupid thing to ask. He’s seen people with broken bones before, </span>
  <em>
    <span>broken</span>
  </em>
  <span> peoples bones and done worse though he probably shouldn’t say any of this, and so he knows in such an area it can only be agonizing at best. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t think they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>broken</span>
  </em>
  <span> though. At least he hopes not. It’s probably just that this time they were injured again before they could heal, but really it's hard to say when he’s not all too sure what had happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh.” Namjoon holds one of his hands out in front of them as they walk, bending his fingers testingly though he doesn’t get very far and he catches him wincing as it falls back to his side. “It happened this morning so that's why. I think it’ll stop hurting in a bit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jimin doubts it, is again considering asking about </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?” Jimin grabs a hold of his hand, keeping his grip tight. Joon usually applies pressure and even if they weren’t hurting he thinks this is a good decision. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom found out about the numbers thing, she said I need to memorize </span>
  <em>
    <span>important</span>
  </em>
  <span> stuff and that it's stupid.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jimin frowns. He’d said </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> not </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> but he supposes it’s only wishful thinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Numbers...?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joon flashes two, then three fingers with his free hand before he remembers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d forgotten about that. Truth be told it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> dumb, something they’d come up with late one night at his house cause he worried he might not be able to communicate with him in a dangerous scenario. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They haven’t even really figured it out, gotten past one meaning </span>
  <em>
    <span>are you okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>, two meaning </span>
  <em>
    <span>run</span>
  </em>
  <span> and three </span>
  <em>
    <span>be safe</span>
  </em>
  <span>, whereas when responding one and two are </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> stupid and so he’s given it no thought, shrugged it off as an unnecessary precaution because if they’re ever captured or anything and can’t talk, he’s pretty sure Joon will just come up with some foolproof plan to escape that's put into action before he can be aware enough to mess it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now hearing that his mom thinks it's dumb he feels angry, can only tighten his grip so he doesn’t say something that will hurt his friends' feelings. Even if it’s something he won’t really consider, would be too much of a hassle to ever do and probably ruin their friendship in the process, he doesn’t want Joon to get the wrong idea and keep from telling him these kinds of things in the future cause he has his dads temper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not stupid, otherwise she’d have no clue what this means.” Jimin says, proudly holding up his middle finger for the other to swat away with a scowl. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Namjoon sighs but he knows he’s more amused than anything else from how his hands relaxed in his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...if you told me how I could probably think of something or dad would know how to make sure it won’t hurt much.” Jimin tries to sound casual as he says it though he can hear the edge to his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t want to pressure him into telling him anything, but then again he knows it could always be worse. He’s seen worse, done worse and so seeing as he might know some things to help with that he’s sure finding out what exactly’s wrong can’t be a bad thing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His best guess is that his mom will hit the back of his hands with a ruler. He’s seen it in dramas before and Joon usually upsets her like this when he doesn’t study so he thinks it would be a strong reinforcement to correct it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If it's this then all there is to it is to break every ruler she has and he’ll never be hurt again. Easy enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Namjoon is biting into his bottom lip, looking weary but Jimin already knows he’s won since he hadn’t blurted out </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span> the moment he opened his mouth. He’s careful not to let it show, instead turning to look down at the pavement so he won’t notice and decide not to tell him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She...holds my hand.” Namjoon begins and Jimin stays patient, keeping his breaths shallow and waiting to hear something more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...so you won’t move them?” Jimin asks. Namjoon doesn’t reply. He looks like he regrets this conversation and his heart sinks as Joon readjusts his grip so that his hand is wrapped around his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe this had been a mistake and it’s not something he’s ready to talk about just yet. He knows Joon doesn’t want his dad involved and for a moment he questions if telling the police is a good idea. It wouldn’t do much if anything, but maybe the humiliation of a house call would be enough for it to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like this,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jimin jerks as Namjoon squeezes his hand, thumb pressing just below his knuckle and until he can feel them shifting to press against each other with a dull </span>
  <em>
    <span>pop</span>
  </em>
  <span> and flash of pain. It doesn’t hurt enough for him to shout or pull away, but then again from how Joons hands are shaking, he thinks he’s trying not to hurt him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-but worse, until she hears them crack.” Namjoon is quick to readjust his grip so that the pressure is gone but still Jimin can’t find it in himself to move or look away. “I think her hearing is bad...” He mumbles out the last part, words soft and eyes averted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows reasonably he should say something. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m so sorry. I’ll kill her. That isn’t right-</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he knows they’d all be empty. None of them would </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> anything because they’re just </span>
  <em>
    <span>words</span>
  </em>
  <span> and they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>kids</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could do something more he supposes, he wants to, but he’s already been struggling to balance keeping Joon in the dark and everything else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not something he’s sure about risking when it’s already so difficult. Keeping it so he doesn’t realize everything there is to being the heir to Odium because someone who cheerfully asks for a kiss </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> be a bad person, can’t be demonized by the media and even if others think of him as a monster, he doesn’t want Namjoon to one day share this thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s selfish and yet he cares more about safeguarding his image and what they have than risking everything else there is to lose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are of course other options, but even then if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> go to the police he could just be lying, or it’s not a big deal, or he has no place to talk unless he wants to confess to doing it himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows nothing would come of it and that even if something does it’s not what Joon will want, has been happening for a while now and is only this bad because it happened again so recently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s all in all not something Jimin knows what to say to, how to comfort someone over because Joon looks like it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> that bad but then again, on the other hand, it’s a stupid thing to voice when its phrased like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Jimin doesn’t have any bruises to show for himself after feeling it once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t know what to say and so he closes his mouth and doesn’t say anything at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Since finding out Jimin hasn’t been able to ignore it as much as he’d wish he could. Joon is his best friend, someone he cares about and when he’s been raised to notice smaller ticks, anything that might warn him if someones lying, hostile or their resolve is about to crumble, spotting Joon’s is easy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He has a lot of habits, most of them endearing but lately he finds it hard to think this with how he’s taken to pressing his hands beneath his thighs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hiding</span>
  </em>
  <span> them and it’s only that much more apparent, that much more obvious that it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a big deal when it happens when they’re around others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s self-conscious about them and he doesn’t know what to make of it, or again how he can comfort him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He understands it a little he thinks. Ever since that evening he told him how it happens his hands haven’t healed and it’s been seven weeks. Four too long for any broken bones to heal and he doesn’t know what else he can ask about injuries without his dad getting suspicious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If his hands looked like that he’d try to hide them too. Joon isn’t ugly, it’s a thought he’s never had and nor is it one anyone in their right mind would. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joon</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t ugly but his hands are and he hates that he thinks this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He loves Joon and yet his throat shudders if he stares at his knuckles for too long as he fights the urge to throw up. It’s something he’s unfamiliar with. He’s never thrown up at the sight of blood, broken bones or corpses before and so having this kind of reaction leaves him winded. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Joon</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t ugly and no scar or blemish he has could ever make him so and yet the ones his mom gave him are, leave him nauseous, a little scared and wondering if he’s too old to feel like this given everything he’ll have to grow into. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s sure Joon’s realized he knows he’s self-conscious, and again he tries not to fault him when he shares his sentiment of disgust. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels like his dad has caught on too, and while normally he doesn’t care to hide anything from him, he thinks this is a little different since Joon very clearly is uncomfortable with anyone knowing or so much as looking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s because of this that he’d decided that </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he still doesn’t know what to say, how to fix this or make it stop, but he can at the very least help with it even if neither him or Joon want to address it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joon, is it okay if I pick something up real quick before we go to my place...? It’s not far I promise.” Jimin asks. It’s unnecessary, Joon will always agree to an excuse that puts him home later and so he only nods, unconcerned as he pulls him off across the street and over to a department store.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Namjoon glances up to the storefront curiously before recognizing it and turning back to him with the silent question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not for work,” Jimin says, letting go of his hand and stepping back. “You can wait out here it’s just a pickup.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Namjoon eyes him oddly, like he suspects how weird it is for him to be concerned he’s uncomfortable entering this building, even if his dad has a lot of material for work commissioned here and really he </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nonetheless he doesn’t object and ducking in the store he quickly finds one of his dad's contacts at the front counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pick up for Park.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man nods, and pulls out a small bag from beneath the counter after a moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...if you don’t mind my saying I’m honestly a little surprised, seeing that </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>placed the order.” The man doesn’t move to hand him the bag and Jimin finds himself more annoyed than he’d usually let himself be. “I don’t mean to overstep-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then don’t.” Jimin doesn’t move to grab the bag, instead watching as the males posture shifts, smile tense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t understand it really, why people think that just because he doesn’t run </span>
  <em>
    <span>Odium</span>
  </em>
  <span> that they can talk down to him like this, as if he’s not his fathers son. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s funny really but unfortunately he’s not in a good mood, or the kind to explain himself to someone who doesn’t have the right to ask for favors when they’re in debt to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man doesn’t move for several moments, looks like he’s going to ask if his fathers okay with this or if doing so will earn him a bullet through the skull.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s at times like these that he really wishes he’d hurry and grow up so he could have a gun. He thinks it would fix a lot of his problems.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“...of course,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The male places the bag on the counter, glaring. Jimin waits a moment before taking it, sparing its contents a glance before turning and moving towards the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is off the books for the record.” Jimin pauses just before he reaches it, not bothering to look over to him. “If not then I’ll let my dad know you were involved with that leak the police got last March.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jimin looks back over to find the male frowning. He looks angry. Whether it's at the prospects of being blackmailed or threatening a senior he doesn’t know, or particularly care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way he’s sure he won’t take it lightly, even if he’s yet to be aware that his dad already knows it’s a good thing to hold over him before he’s inevitably killed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not caring to hear anything more the man has to say, whatever half assed apology to excuse his attempts at digging up information on Odium he leaves, finding Joon with a brow raised. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say to him?” Namjoon asks slowly. He looks like he wants to scold him and so Jimin stubbornly looks away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. Just warned him not to piss dad off anymore or he’ll torture the information out of him instead of getting it the nice way.” Jimin waves a hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Namjoon again doesn’t look too convinced, looks like he wants to say that having Odium investigating him is just as painful but he stays silent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly it doesn’t really have anything to do with not wanting his dad to find out. He used his own card but he can still very well see the transactions. Since it wasn’t junk food though he doubts he’ll comment on it and if he does at least it won’t seem like whatever someone who’s eager to get off his dads bad side can make of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if his dad realizes he doubts he’ll comment. He’s nosey but he understands that Joon’s insecurities aren’t his to make known so he knows he won’t say anything to either of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Jimin pulls out the item, passing it over to Namjoon while being careful to make it seem as if there's still other things in the bag. “It came free with the purchase and I don’t want them.” Jimin taps a finger to the gloves. “It’s the kind my dads men will use during contracts. They’re badass.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...are you sure?” Namjoon sounds hesitant but not as bad he’d been anticipating, Jimin nods, nudging him and after a moment he puts them on. This definitely isn’t something Joon wants to address and he doubts knowing he’d gone out and got him them would do them any favors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re simple black leather gloves, thin but the grip is still good and he imagines that like this he can still draw without having to pay too much attention to his hands and it’ll be like it never happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Namjoon is stubborn, doesn’t like to accept gifts but like this at least he can do something and for once it seems he isn’t going to object. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It isn’t until they make it to his apartment and are settled in on his bed does Namjoon finally seems to find it in himself to talk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t have to do it.” Namjoon doesn’t say </span>
  <em>
    <span>thank you</span>
  </em>
  <span> but all the same he knows what he means. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d do it anyways.” Jimin rests his chin on his palm. “You’re my right-hand man, it’s expected you’ll need gloves, I can’t have you leaving fingerprints at a scene and getting yourself killed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm...maybe I’ll have them burned off...you never know.” Namjoon says it with a smile, voice light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Namjoon doesn’t seem to have heard him, only sparing him a glance from where he’s laying on his back in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe.</span>
  </em>
  <span>..besides I’m going to kill right? I might end up upsetting the wrong person and they retaliate...” Namjoon says it like this is just preparing him for worse or maybe he’ll weather worse unscathed having been through this. Both leave him pressing his lips together so that he doesn’t scold him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Don’t think like that. I won’t let it come to that, I’ll kill anyone before they kill you.” He doesn’t say </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt</span>
  </em>
  <span> because he can’t do anything to this, can only curse himself for what he doesn’t know how to say and hope that his reputation will suffice in keeping everyone else at bay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to die someday...I didn’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’d</span>
  </em>
  <span> need the death talk between the two of us.” Namjoon laughs humorlessly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dying</span>
  </em>
  <span> and being killed are entirely two different things but it seems he doesn’t care to make this differentiation. “Besides as long as you kiss me whenever it happens there's nothing to resent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jimin disagrees, is sure Namjoon is a hypocrite and would massacre anyone who lays a hand on him even if he was at peace with death. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but only because it’ll never come to that.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="http://twitter.com/vminjoongie">my twitter</a>
  <br/>
  <a href="https://curiouscat.me/vminjoongie">my cc</a>
</p></blockquote></div></div>
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